Islamabad, Nov 15 (PTI) Pakistan authorities on Friday asked the country's electronic media watchdog to block illegal Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), citing national security concerns due to alleged misuse by terrorist groups.

Virtual Private Networks, better known as VPNs, are widely used around the world to access content that may be inaccessible or blocked for internet users in their home country.

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The Interior Ministry in a letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said that VPNs were increasingly being exploited by terrorists to facilitate violent activities and financial transactions in Pakistan.

“Of late, an alarming fact has been identified, wherein VPNs are used by terrorists to obscure and conceal their communications,” the letter said.

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“VPNs are also being used (to) discreetly access pornographic and blasphemous contents.”

The letter also pointed out that “Pakistan is considered as one of the leading countries in terms of visiting porn sites using VPNs” and added that these trends warranted the prohibition of unauthorised VPNs to address the critical threats.

“It is, therefore, requested to block illegal VPNs across Pakistan so that legitimate/registered VPN users are not affected,” according to the letter.

It also urged that registration of VPNs with PTA may be made till November 30.

The issue of VPN was already in the crosshairs and the PTA on Wednesday said that VPN usage would be restricted in the future to curb access to pornographic content, following a disruption that rendered VPNs dysfunctional across the country on Sunday.

It also claimed to have so far blocked 1,00,183 URLs containing blasphemous content, as well as 8,44,008 pornographic websites. It also stated that approximately 20 million attempts were made from within the country to access pornographic websites daily, which were blocked at the international gateway level.

Earlier, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony on Tuesday had asked the regulator to block blasphemous and pornographic content.

Digital rights activists termed the disruption the government's attempt to “enforce strict censorship and surveillance over citizens”. The PTA, however, dismissed users' claim that it was “throttling” VPNs and said the disruptions were caused by a “technical glitch”.

It also urged users to register their VPNs.

Separately, the PTA introduced a streamlined VPN registration process, allowing legitimate users to register their VPNs through a new online portal. It also claimed that this simplified framework “supports uninterrupted access for IT companies, freelancers, and other stakeholders, reinforcing PTA's commitment to Pakistan's expanding digital economy”.

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