A trial run of a new firewall has led to a slowdown in social media, raising concerns about the impact on internet-based businesses in Pakistan. Officials have assured that internet traffic will return to normal once the trial is complete.
The government has allocated over Rs30 billion for the development of this filtering system, with the Ministry of Information Technology overseeing the budget allocation. However, the actual execution of the project is being managed by a different entity, relegating the MoIT’s role to a more administrative one.
The firewall project, which has been underway since January, includes the procurement and installation of the system. The commissioning phase is expected to take several weeks. Although there are concerns about the firewall affecting internet-based businesses, officials have stated that the primary focus is on social media influencers suspected of spreading fake news. These influencers are already being targeted under the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016, with courts being established to handle related cases.
Recent advertisements from the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) have suggested that additional firewalls may be procured, creating confusion about the total expenditure. An advertisement from July 11 invited tenders for the supply, installation, and configuration of Next Generation Firewalls and Web Application Firewalls for PTA’s internal IT infrastructure. The closing date for submissions is July 26.
According to a PTA spokesperson, this tender is for firewalls intended for the PTA’s own internal IT systems and will not affect the previously mentioned Rs30 billion firewall project. The PTA is seeking four Next Generation Firewalls and two Web Application Firewalls to enhance security at its primary data center and disaster recovery site.
