And then they came for VPNs
ON Nov 28, 2024, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz posted a video on X — via a VPN, of course, since X has been officially banned by the government — announcing Pakistan’s first IT…
How Pakistan’s VPN ban undermines rights
Over the past year, Pakistan has teetered on the edge of digital oppression, and the proposed ban on ‘unregistered’ VPNs could be the tipping point toward becoming a fully mass-surveilled…
VPNs and other dangers
In an extraordinary step, the government has advised the PTA to crack down on VPNs, claiming they are used for immoral and illegal activities. Pakistan often frames such measures through…
VPNs are not the enemy
The discourse on VPNs (Virtual Private Network) in Pakistan has been very one-sided, and shows a complete misunderstanding and maybe deliberate misrepresentation of VPNs. Government officials usually paint VPNs as…
VPN concerns
The Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) has officially informed that after the end of this month, all unregistered Virtual Private Networks (VPN) will be completely blocked across the country. In a…
Throwing the VPN baby out…
THOSE who govern us may have expertise in multiple areas, but their ability and propensity to score own goals seem without parallel. None of us will have to look too…
VPNs to the rescue
When the internet arrived in Pakistan in the mid-90s, access was unfettered because decision-makers were (thankfully) decades away from understanding its implications. That slowly changed as new web technologies enabled…
Unaccountable Big Brother
TWO revelations this week have highlighted the gaps in privacy rights and data protection in Pakistan. One is the news that the personal and sensitive data of millions of Pakistanis…
India-Pakistan conflict hits shared love of film, music
While conflict raged between the powerful militaries of India and Pakistan, a battle was also fought on the cultural front lines despite years of shared love for films and music.…
$100m onslaught
The Pak Army is facing a $100 million social media assault. The precision of disinformation campaigns, the polarised narratives dominating airwaves, the relentless digital drumbeat flooding social media, tailored bots…
