VPN usage rising, PTA urges approval of policy

The rising usage of illicit Virtual Private Networks (VPN) in Pakistan is raising concerns from Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The excessive use of VPN has been linked to a substantially slowdown in internet services throughout the country.

Sources from PTA claim that the rising trend of unregistered VPN usage is having an effect on the performance of network. As a result, the authority has pushed the Ministry of Information Technology to finalize a long-delayed VPN policy as soon as possible.

The PTA suggested that the IT Ministry should move swiftly to complete and put into effect a thorough VPN policy. It has additionally highlighted that the goal of regulating VPNs is to make sure they are registered and adhere to national laws, not to put an end to their use.

The sources stated that although VPNs are not prohibited, they must immediately be registered in order to prevent unauthorized and unlawful use, which is growing more common among Pakistani telecom consumers.

Since millions of IT firms and independent contractors in Pakistan depends on VPN for business, registration of VPN is an important concern for preserving the effectiveness and security of the nation’s digital infrastructure.

PTA sources have made it clear that consumers won’t suffer from registering a VPN because the main objectives are to safeguard users’ personal information and guarantee safe network usage.

Although the policy has yet to be approved by the IT Ministry, the VPN policy was developed a long time ago to tackle these issues. The PTA is pushing for the implementation of policy’s more frequently as unregistered VPN usage shot up and internet services continue to collapse.

According to a source inside the PTA, “the approval of a VPN policy is inevitable and needs to happen soon to protect the interests of all stakeholders.”

The source also added that registering VPNs will eventually help users instead of hurting them. Additionally, the authority has promised users that their personal data would be protected and that network firewalls will not affect registered VPNs.

As the situation escalates, PTA is still dedicated to ensuring users’ privacy and security is secured while protecting Pakistan’s internet infrastructure from the negative impacts of using illegal VPNs. The IT Ministry is now the only one who can make final decision on the new policy of VPN. The shareholders in the business are anxiously waiting for approval of the VPN policy.