Tech Desk 
Nov 11, 2024
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Monday commenced blocking unregistered VPNs across the country, sources within the PTA told Geo News; adding that this action forms part of an effort to streamline the white-listing process by restricting access to VPNs that have not undergone registration.
The PTA has warned that these unregistered VPNs pose substantial security risks, as they can facilitate access to sensitive data and potentially allow users to bypass regulations, even enabling illegal online activities.
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The authority initially launched its VPN registration process in 2010, with around 20,500 VPNs successfully registered since then. Among these, over 1,422 companies have ensured their VPN compliance with the regulatory framework.
The sources added that as part of the PTA’s ongoing focus on data protection, the aim is to expedite the white-listing of legitimate VPNs while temporarily suspending access to unregistered ones.
In the past few hours, users have experienced significant disruptions while using free or unauthorised VPN services, sparking a wave of frustration among citizens relying on VPNs for secure browsing and content accessibility.
The PTA has yet to provide an exact timeline for the completion of this registration drive, but it assures that the streamlined process will allow authorised VPNs to resume normal operation shortly. In the meantime, users may face intermittent service interruptions, particularly on unregistered VPN networks.
