Bilal Ahmed 
national-firewall-pakistans-new-internet-filtering-system
The Pakistan government is making a big change to how people use the internet in the country. They are setting up a new system called a “national firewall.” This firewall will check all the information that people try to look at on the internet. If the government thinks the information is bad or dangerous, the firewall will block it. People in Pakistan will not be able to see that information.
The government is doing this for two main reasons:
- The Pakistan government wants to block information on the internet that it considers bad “propaganda” against its values.
- A new “firewall” system will look for certain words and phrases, and block any websites or content containing those, so Pakistani people cannot see it.
The firewall will use a special system to look for certain words or phrases in the information people are trying to see online. If it finds words or phrases that the government thinks are undesirable or a threat to national security, it will block that information.
This filtering system will be used on big social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and the platform X (formerly known as Twitter).
Blocking Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
The government is also planning to make it harder for people to use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). VPNs are a way for people to go online without the government or internet companies being able to see what they are doing.
The government might make people tell the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) if they are using a VPN. This would give the government more control over how people use VPNs.
The government has already blocked the platform X (formerly Twitter) for several months. Many people in Pakistan started using VPNs to still access X during this time.
What the Government Says
A government official said that since they blocked X, the number of users in Pakistan has gone down from 4.5 million to 2.4 million. The official also said that X’s management has become more willing to do what the government wants, like blocking an account belonging to the Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society.
