Over two dozen VPNs temporarily blocked in a firewall experiment

ISLAMABAD: The government conducted a six-hour trial blocking more than two dozen Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) on Sunday, marking a significant step in internet regulation in Pakistan.

The temporary blockage, which took place between 4pm and 10pm, was the first instance where a government firewall noticeably impacted internet users across the country.

Both the premium VPN services and locally accessed VPNs experienced outages, according to a government official familiar with the details. “The trial blockage of over 20 VPNs at once was successful, although our current infrastructure struggles to handle the load,” commented an insider, revealing challenges in sustaining such controls.

The VPN restrictions were lifted, according to an executive of telecom industry, due to backlash from businesses, which rely on VPNs for secure and efficient communication. Moving forward, all unregistered VPN users could face potential blocks as the government bolsters its firewall capabilities.

In response to rumours circulating in September regarding VPN restrictions, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority had clarified that it didn’t intend to block VPNs. Nevertheless, it urged businesses — including IT companies, software houses, freelancers and banks — to register their IPs for continued VPN access, ensuring uninterrupted internet services for authorised users. Those registering must provide their intended use and specify their business activities.

VPNs are commonly used worldwide to bypass restricted content. In Pakistan, for instance, citizens have used VPNs to access the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) which has been banned for several months. The government stated it would not lift the restriction on X unless it formally registers in Pakistan.

The VPN block trial was the first demonstration of the newly-installed firewall. The experiment highlighted limitations in the country’s internet infrastructure, with noticeable slowdowns reported when the firewall was active. Officials are now exploring technical adjustments to reduce such strain on the system, balancing regulation with the need for smooth internet performance.