Pakistan Plans to Prevent VPN Workaround to Its Ban on Musk’s X
- Pakistanis are using virtual private networks to skirt X ban
- X use dropped by 70% in Pakistan amid ban, Tribune reported
The X app.
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Pakistan plans to review the virtual private network services available in the country as a step to prevent users skirting its ban on accessing Elon Musk’s X social platform.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority will conduct a screening process and white-list the VPNs it considers compliant, chairman Hafeez Ur Rehman said speaking to a parliament committee, as reported by The Express Tribune. Since the government’s ban of X in February — on national security grounds — its usage in the South Asian nation has plummeted 70%, according to Rehman, but many people have turned to VPNs to spoof their location and continue using the service.