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| India-Pakistan |
| Pakistan 'completes second trial of firewall' amid internet slowdown |
| 2024-08-16 |
| [GEO.TV] Amid an outcry from internet users and digital rights activists over the disruption of digital platforms and slow internet speed, Pak authorities have completed 2nd trial run of its much-debated firewall, telecom sources told Geo News on Thursday. Protecting the nation from un-Islamic influences. And porn. The firewall was installed on internet service providers (ISPs) possessing deep packet inspection (DPI) capability, the sources said adding that the firewall has been installed in view of national security concerns. The telco sources also confirmed that mobile signals and internet services slowed down due to the installation of a new firewall aimed at blocking unwanted content. They claimed that all social media services would return to normal speed in two to three days after the conclusion of the firewall's trial period. The first trial run was said to be carried out in July which resulted in the slowing down of social media platforms. The federal government had allocated more than Rs30 billion in the development budget for the acquisition and installation of this filtering system. The allocation was made to the Ministry of Information Technology; however, the execution of this project is being done from another power centre. However, Switzerland makes more than cheese... the adverse impacts after installing the firewall drew criticism from local netizens and digital rights organizations who expressed fear about the future of internet-based businesses in Pakistain. As internet users in Pakistain continue to reel under prevailing access and speed issues, the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistain (WISPAP) has blamed the phenomenon on increased security and surveillance whose adverse repercussions might lead to severe economic repercussions. "It’s a very discouraging situation for our customers [...] Many are leaving the smaller ISPs because they cannot sustain the poor service quality anymore. If this continues, we will see a mass exodus of businesses from Pakistain," said |
| Posted by:Fred |