PTA decides against banning VPNs

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has decided against imposing ban on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) due to legal concerns.

Sources within the PTA told APP that the authority had earlier instructed users to register their VPNs by November 30, warning that unregistered connections would be blocked.

However, the Law Ministry advised against banning VPNs as the government lacks the authority under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 to enforce such a ban.

The Interior Ministry had previously requested a ban on unregistered VPNs, citing their misuse by terrorists for violent activities and access to pornographic and blasphemous content. Despite this, the Law Ministry determined that the request was not legally enforceable.

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Interior Ministry officials acknowledged that their interpretation of PECA was flawed, and courts were likely to uphold the legality of VPNs.

As a result, the request for a ban has been withdrawn.

Section 34 of PECA, which deals with unlawful online content, allows authorities to block or remove content in matters concerning Islam, national security, public order, morality, or contempt of court. However, the Law Ministry emphasized that this provision applies to content, not the tools used to access it.

A senior IT Ministry official further clarified that VPNs are merely tools to access applications or establish connectivity, akin to mobile phones or computers. As such, they do not fall under the scope of PECA’s content-related restrictions.