Daily Times

After the relentless spree of terrorist attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the federal government has ramped up efforts to curb the digital activities of banned terrorist groups. At a meeting of the National Action Plan (NAP) coordination committee, chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, it was decided to block social media accounts linked to outlawed outfits. The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) was directed to devise an effective mechanism for this crackdown.

So, what is new in the upcoming action when the government has been the online activities of terrorist groups for a long time? Recently, a crackdown was launched on illegal SIMs, with provinces tasked to implement strategies to prevent their misuse. Alongside these measures, the government has also turned its attention to VPNs, claiming they are used by terrorists to conceal communications and facilitate financial transactions.

The PTA has already blocked over 100,000 URLs for hosting blasphemous content and around 844,000 pornographic websites. It estimates that 20 million daily attempts to access such sites are thwarted at the international gateway level. Shame! Pakistanis often hit international headlines for searching porn sites. While PTA actions aim to address security and moral concerns, they have the other side too.

Critics argue these steps are politically motivated. Social media is rife with posts that the authorities are checking the social media accounts at pickets in Islamabad at random search and stop points. Similarly, PTI leaders claim they are being targeted. Ministers have accused PTI of violence during protests, with some linking the crackdown to a broader campaign to suppress dissent.

In the new round of the war on terror, the government’s measures to restrict VPNs drew sharp criticism from digital rights activists. They view it as an attempt to impose censorship and tighten surveillance on citizens. PTA denies the disruptions were deliberate, blaming technical glitches, but the timing raises eyebrows.

While security measures are necessary given the grave terror attacks, the sweeping measures should be avoided. They risk overreach. A balance is needed to safeguard both public safety and digital freedoms. With growing scepticism over motives, transparency and accountability must underpin the government’s actions. *