Today is PTA’s deadline to block unregistered VPNs. PTA had requested the deadline to be extended from November 30, but there has been no response so far.
The decision to extend the VPN registration deadline is in the hands of the Ministry of Interior, PTA sources say. According to PTA, there is still a possibility that the deadline will be extended, but there is no confirmation yet.
The IT industry, freelancers, and other stakeholders have demanded an extension of the deadline since it has the potential to cause mass losses to the online working community. According to P@SHA, Pakistan’s IT industry could lose $1 billion due to the VPN ban.
Over 27,000 VPNs have been registered so far and registered VPNs can “help improve cybersecurity” in the country, as per PTA’s claims. It is worth mentioning here that VPNs by default already protect your cybersecurity and don’t need extra registration to do their job.
However, the PTA insists that VPN registration is essential for “national security and data protection.”
PTA had set November 30 as the deadline for VPN registration, meaning if the deadline is not extended, a crackdown on unregistered VPNs will begin tomorrow.
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