PTA Requests Interior Ministry to Extend VPN Registration Deadline
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has asked the Interior Ministry to extend the November 30 deadline for the registration of Virtual Private Network (VPN), citing concerns by stakeholders on the complexity of the registration process. The nationwide ban on unregistered VPNs is set to begin December 1.
PTA sources reported that over 200 VPNs are being registered daily, but stakeholders have raised concerns about the process, calling for a simpler approach. The authority has been consulting stakeholders on the registration process.
According to The Express Tribune, the federal government may extend the registration deadline.
The Interior Ministry issued the VPN registration directive two weeks ago, emphasizing the misuse of VPNs for illegal activities. “Off late, an alarming fact has been identified, wherein VPNs are used by terrorists to obscure and conceal their communications. VPNs are also being used to discreetly access pornographic and blasphemous contents,” the ministry stated on November 15.
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