Pakistan Restarts VPN Licensing in Fresh Bid to Control Online Space
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- VPN Licensing Restart: Pakistan approves five local companies to offer regulated, lawful VPN services to citizens.
- User Impact: Licensed VPNs don’t require personal IP registration; international unlicensed services may face future blocks.
- Privacy Concerns: Critics warn licensing could enable government surveillance and threaten digital privacy for everyday users.
Pakistan has resumed its licensing program for Virtual Private Network (VPN) providers, marking a major step in the government’s ongoing effort to regulate how citizens access the internet. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) confirmed that five local companies have now been approved to offer “secure and lawful” VPN services to the public.
PTA Issues Licenses to Five Local VPN Providers
The PTA announced the move on November 13, authorizing the first batch of providers under its new framework. The licensing program is presented by the government as a cybersecurity measure aimed at creating a controlled, compliant environment for VPN use.
For everyday users, one immediate change is that anyone using one of these officially licensed VPNs no longer needs to register their individual IP address directly with the PTA, a process many had previously found complicated and intrusive.
Authorities have been trying for years to control VPN use in the country. VPNs remain widely used in Pakistan because of frequent restrictions on social media platforms. Services such as X (formerly Twitter) have faced repeated and prolonged blocks, pushing citizens, companies, and freelancers to rely on VPNs for uninterrupted access to global platforms.
A New Framework, Same Concerns
While the government describes the licensing system as a step toward “regulatory facilitation” and improved security, digital rights advocates warn that the new framework may increase state control over online activity.
Past efforts to curb unregistered VPNs have failed due to court challenges and widespread public opposition. Rather than banning VPNs outright, the new strategy focuses on creating a local, government-approved pool of VPN providers.
The biggest concern is surveillance. Because these VPNs must be licensed in Pakistan, the government can pressure providers to monitor usage or hand over customer data. This puts the model at odds with major global VPN companies, many of which operate with strict no-logs policies and have previously shut down servers in countries with intrusive data-retention rules, including nearby India.
This development also appears alongside broader reports that Pakistan is exploring a China-style “Great Firewall” system. Analysts say a tightly controlled VPN ecosystem could become a critical part of such a structure, ensuring that even those trying to bypass online restrictions remain within a monitored channel.
What This Means for Pakistani Users
Pakistani citizens now face a choice between using one of the five licensed providers or continuing to rely on international services that are not approved, and may face disruptions or future blocks.
The PTA says the licensing framework will support cybersecurity and make internet usage more convenient. But many users fear that the trade-off will be reduced privacy and a greater risk of state surveillance.
Digital rights groups warn that the shift could damage Pakistan’s digital economy. Freelancers, IT companies, and startups depend heavily on stable, open internet access, and previous crackdowns on VPNs have already been linked to performance issues and unpredictable connectivity.
The key question now is whether the PTA will move to restrict or block global VPN services that refuse to obtain a local license. If that happens, millions of users who rely on these tools for privacy, access to information, and everyday work could be forced to choose between using a monitored local VPN or losing access to parts of the international internet.
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