The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has decided against imposing a nationwide ban on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), following legal advice from the Law Ministry. The announcement, made on December 1, 2024, comes after the ministry clarified that the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 does not authorize such a ban.
The Interior Ministry had earlier sought the ban, citing concerns over VPN misuse by terrorists and for accessing illegal content. However, the Law Ministry noted that PECA permits blocking specific online content but not tools like VPNs used to access it. Subsequently, the Interior Ministry is likely to withdraw its proposal.
Previously, the PTA required businesses and freelancers to register their VPNs by November 30, while exempting individual users. Around 27,000 VPNs were registered before the deadline, with an additional 7,000 following the potential ban announcement. The decision raised concerns among software houses, which warned of a detrimental impact on their operations if a ban were enforced.
The government’s plan to differentiate between individual and commercial VPN usage faced legal obstacles. Increased VPN adoption was also fueled by a ban on X (formerly Twitter) in February 2024, highlighting the critical role of VPNs for online access.
This decision underscores the challenges of balancing national security concerns with maintaining accessibility for legitimate online activities, particularly for businesses reliant on VPNs.
