Tue, 21-Oct-2025

Government confirms firewall installation as net speed drops

Government confirms firewall installation as net speed drops

The government has finally admitted that it is installing a firewall to monitor and manage internet traffic across Pakistan. This comes after months of denial, during which officials rejected claims that a firewall was causing slow internet. But now, it seems the firewall may be a big reason why internet speeds have dropped since last … Read more

PTA starts issuing licenses to VPN service providers

PTA starts issuing licenses to VPN service providers

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has started giving licenses to Virtual Private Network (VPN) service providers to help businesses use them legally. A VPN creates a secure and private connection between your device and a remote server, acting like a hidden tunnel that protects your online activities from being tracked. According to PTA, two companies … Read more

PTA cites excessive VPN use as cause of internet slowdown

PTA

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has stated that the recent internet slowdown in Pakistan is primarily due to the increased use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). According to the PTA, the high volume of VPN usage has caused additional strain on the country’s bandwidth, leading to slower internet speeds. In its report, the PTA … Read more

Register Your VPN Using Mobile Numbers: Here’s How

Register Your VPN

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has announced that individuals without static IP addresses can now register virtual private networks (VPNs) using their mobile numbers. This move is aimed at simplifying the VPN registration process to better support the IT sector, with over 31,000 VPNs already registered, according to the PTA. The authority has encouraged users … Read more

Report says VPN demand more than triples in Pakistan

Shaza Fatima Khawaja

The demand for Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) has surged more than threefold across Pakistan following stricter restrictions on social media platforms. According to Top10VPN, an independent VPN review site, the demand for VPN services in Pakistan increased by 102% on November 25 compared to the average of the previous 28 days. This demand climbed even … Read more

IT Companies Face Potential Losses and Closures Amid VPN Restrictions, Internet Slowdown

IT Companies

Sajjad Mustafa Syed, warns of potential financial losses damage due to internet slowdown and VPN service blocking. The IT sector’s exports reached $3.2 billion in FY24, but current challenges could reverse these gains  Syed predicts short-term losses of tens of millions of dollars, with long-term reputational damage. Sajjad Mustafa Syed, Chairman of the Pakistan Software … Read more

Selective VPNs will be available to use in Pakistan: PTA

Selective VPNs will be available to use in Pakistan: PTA

PTA is approving limited VPNs for use in Pakistan. Only 30% of Pakistanis use VPNs, making blocking feasible. X (formerly Twitter) usage in Pakistan dropped by 70%. During a session of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, chaired by Rana Mahmoodul Hasan in Islamabad, PTA Chairman Hafeezur Rehman stated that the PTA is in … Read more

Proton observes surging demand in Pakistan for VPN with free services

Shaza Fatima Khawaja

Swiss-based internet privacy firm, Proton, revealed its intention on Wednesday to furnish a network of complimentary VPN servers for nations with imminent elections, where censorship and repression prevail as significant concerns. Proton emphasized that tracking the demand for its VPN services aids in early detection of government crackdowns on freedom of speech. The endeavor aims … Read more

Internet Services Slow, X and VPNs Still Blocked Across Pakistan

Internet services are experiencing significant slowdowns nationwide, with users reporting degraded performance across various social media.

Internet services are experiencing significant slowdowns nationwide, with users reporting degraded performance across various social media platforms. Additionally, the blackout of X (formerly Twitter) has persisted for six days, defying the Sindh High Court’s order to restore access. Meanwhile, VPN services are also being blocked across Pakistan. X Continues to Be Blocked The Pakistani government … Read more

Iraq Ends Telegram App Suspension Over Security Concerns

Telegram App Suspension

Suspension drew criticism, raised freedom of speech debates. Telegram popular in Iraq, used for propaganda. Iranian-linked parties dominate parliament, support PM. The Iraqi government has lifted its week-long suspension of the Telegram messaging app, citing “national security” concerns. The decision was made after facing criticism from pro-Iran factions. As of Sunday, the app became accessible … Read more

Pakistan ranks 3rd in terms of the most internet shutdowns in 2023

Pakistan ranks 3rd in terms of the most internet shutdowns in 2023

Pakistan experienced significant internet restrictions in the first half of 2023. These restrictions were put in place after the arrest of the former Prime Minister, Imran Khan. More than two-thirds of the new disruptions were triggered by public dissent over social and political issues. According to a recent report from Surfshark, a VPN and cyber … Read more

Meta blocks Europeans from using Threads app through VPN

Meta

Instagram’s Threads app is no longer available. Meta has introduced a new version of Threads that rivals Twitter. The Threads app is accessible globally except in Europe, where it is not available. Meta plans to expand Threads to more countries in the future, acknowledging the significance of the European market. Instagram’s Threads app, originally designed … Read more

Internet shutdowns cost above $10B in 2022

Internet shutdowns cost above $10B in 2022

In 2022, government shutdowns cost the world economy $10 billion. This is double what we had at this time last year. Non-conflict shutdowns cost the global economy $6 million each day. Internet shutdowns are primarily caused by a service provider’s technical problem, although governments also cause them. Governments may take down the internet to control … Read more

Russia fines Google for Ukraine videos

Google

A Russian court on Thursday slapped a sequence of small fines on Google for failing to take down contentious YouTube movies approximately the Kremlin’s army operation in Ukraine. The Moscow court ordered the USA tech behemoth to pay a complete of eleven million rubles ($135,000) for ignoring the country media regulator’s orders to cast off … Read more

Google One introduces a 5TB storage plan for $24.99 per month

Google One introduces a 5TB storage plan for $24.99 per month

Google has ended its free unlimited storage for Google Photos in June. Many users are now concerned about where should they store their photos now. Some users have figured out the solution to store photos and other data on their accounts. Either they could keep their stored data below 15GB or get one of the … Read more

Whatsapp, Twitter, and Facebook blocked in Zambia during presidential elections

Whatsapp, Twitter, and Facebook blocked in Zambia during presidential elections

Whatsapp and other social media apps are reportedly blocked in Zambia during the ongoing presidential elections on Thursday, as reported by digital rights organization Access Now and internet monitor NetBlocks. Lusaka Times, a local Zambian news organization, writes that officials from Zambia’s Ministry of Information and Broadcast Services decided to bring down Whatsapp and other … Read more

Ukraine closes cryptocurrency exchanges used for money laundering

Ukraine

SBU (Security Service Of  Ukraine) knocked down a network of crypto exchanges, since the start of 2021, it’s being utilized to anonymize transactions.

More than 1,000 customers used Russian electronic payments secretly to launder funds, including Webmoney, Qiwi, and Yandex.Money.

The Security Service Of Ukraine stated, “The clandestine cryptocurrency exchanges were in demand because they provided anonymity of transactions and possibility of money laundering,”

The amount of money laundered each month was $11 million, a small fraction of the billions of dollars in bitcoin assets legitimately moved by the top 10 exchanges each month.

From each transaction, admins receive an interest of 5 to 10% and they can still make more than $500,000.

When the team searches 5 locations in the Pecherskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, and Solomianskyi districts of Kyiv, the law enforcement officers recovered server machines and computers with the proof of criminal activity, cell phones with installed VPN software, fake firms’ seals, and formation documents, registered in Ukraine and used for money laundering, and $37,330 in cash.

“Among the clients of cryptocurrency exchanges network were organizers of mass protests on the eve of the Independence Day of Ukraine,” the SBU added. “They received money to pay for the services of provocateurs using this particular network.”

[embedpost slug=”dogecoin-co-creator-jackson-palmer-condemns-cryptocurrency”]

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Messaging app ‘signal’ stopped working in china

china

The famous messaging application Signal stopped working in the People’s Republic of China as this was the last US app freely working in the country. According to the reports, users in China were unable to access the application without a virtual private network (VPN). The website of the Signal has been banned since 15th march, … Read more

Make your own personal VPN in under 30 minutes

personal VPN

VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks are a popular way to stay safe online. All outgoing network traffic is funneled through an external server when connected to a VPN. VPNs are commonly used to bypass blocked websites and to stay safe on public Wi-Fi networks. However, some VPNs are not safe to use. Many popular providers … Read more

How to boost the speed of your Wi-Fi network

Wi-Fi network

Whether you need it for home schooling, work or just streaming shows, good Wi-Fi is deemed extremely important and necessary. Steady internet connection is rarely our reality. Whether you need to reposition your router or need to consider getting a VPN, here is how to fix the Wi-Fi: STEP 1 Run through the usual troubleshooting … Read more