ISLAMABAD: Deep packet inspection services were procured by telecom operators in Pakistan to block unauthorised content on the internet, which were ceased in 2023, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority said.

In a statement, the telecom regulator said it always discouraged “misuse of technology contrary to human rights by ensuring the legitimate use of the technology within the applicable legal framework”.

The statement came in the wake of media reports regarding Canada-based company Sandvine, which develops technology used to monitor and manage internet traffic.

The firm was recently removed from a US ban list after being sanctioned over concerns of “mass web-monitoring and censorship and target human rights activists and dissidents”.

Sandvine made headlines in Pakistan in 2019, when a minister told the National Assembly that the PTA had asked it and another firm to “provide equipment for monitoring grey traffic”.

In its latest statement, PTA clarified: “The services, which were procured through a contract by telecom operators as per applicable regulatory regime, have already ceased in mid-2023. The purpose of procuring of services was for blocking of grey traffic, pornographic / blasphemous web contents”.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2024

Opinion

From hard to harder

From hard to harder

Instead of ‘hard state’ turning even harder, citizens deserve a state that goes soft on them in delivering democratic and development aspirations.

Editorial

Canal unrest
Updated 03 Apr, 2025

Canal unrest

With rising water scarcity in Indus system, it is crucial to move towards a consensus-driven policymaking process.
Iran-US tension
03 Apr, 2025

Iran-US tension

THE Trump administration’s threats aimed at Iran do not bode well for global peace, and unless Washington changes...
Flights to history
03 Apr, 2025

Flights to history

MOHENJODARO could have been the forgotten gold we desperately need. Instead, this 5,000-year-old well of antiquity ...
Eid amidst crises
Updated 31 Mar, 2025

Eid amidst crises

Until the Muslim world takes practical steps to end these atrocities, these besieged populations will see no joy.
Women’s rights
Updated 01 Apr, 2025

Women’s rights

Such judgements, and others directly impacting women’s rights should be given more airtime in media.
Not helping
Updated 02 Apr, 2025

Not helping

If it's committed to peace in Balochistan, the state must draw a line between militancy and legitimate protest.