Govt ‘blocks unregistered VPNs’

The government of Pakistan has blocked unregistered Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in firewall trial.

The unregistered VPNs are being dubbed as ‘security risk’ and have been blocked temporarily for white-listing, sources within the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) sais.

PTA has urged businesses—such as IT companies, software houses, freelancers, and banks—to register their IP addresses to ensure continued VPN access and uninterrupted internet services for authorized users.

Those registering must provide information about their intended use and specify their business activities.

It is to be noted that the PTA started registration of VPNs in 2010 and so far around 20,500 VPNs have been registered, reports suggest.

VPNs are commonly used worldwide to bypass restricted content.

In Pakistan, citizens have utilized VPNs to access the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), which has been banned for several months.