Hafeezur Rehman, the chairman of the PTA, stated that exclusively authorized Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) would operate in Pakistan following the implementation of the policy during a meeting of the Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat.
Following a notable spike in the use of virtual private networks in 2024, mostly for the purpose of gaining access to the social media site X (previously known as Twitter), this action was taken.
A survey published on February 19 by Top10VPN claims that, two days after X was blocked, demand for VPNs surged by 131%. In Pakistan, new user acquisition rates increased 300–400% after the ban, according to VPN provider Surfshark.
With only 30% of users in Pakistan using VPNs to access the platform, the PTA chairman claimed that the number of X users in the country had dropped by 70% since the ban.
Question marks remain regarding the ban’s efficacy, though, given how many users manage to get around it.
According to the director of the PTA, some IT companies that rely on VPNs would fail if they were to outlaw them completely.
The fact that this is not Pakistan’s first attempt at VPN regulation should not be overlooked. Few things have come of earlier attempts, such as a registration drive in 2022 and a virtual private network law in 2010.
