Sources from the Ministry of Interior have disclosed that the trial for installing a firewall on social media is complete and has achieved the desired results. Consequently, the government plans to proceed with the purchase of the firewall.
During the trial period, the firewall effectively blocked downloading images, voice recordings, and videos on social media platforms, which also resulted in reduced mobile signals and slower internet service speeds.
The government conducted the test using mobile data, and following the successful trial, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) sent clearance emails to all mobile companies. Both WhatsApp and Facebook services have returned to their original functionality.
Govt Moves Forward with Firewall Procurement
The government has already issued an advertisement to procure the firewall in light of the successful trial. This decision follows the government’s resolution on June 11 to regulate social media usage more stringently. As part of the plan, internet service providers must install a firewall capable of filtering social media data through deep packet inspection. This technology enables data to be blocked at the IP level rather than through specific applications.
Funding and Implementation Strategy
Installing this firewall will require funds from both the government and service providers, with the government covering some costs and service providers handling the remainder.
The Ministry of IT has instructed internet service providers to block illegal content and take proactive measures to prevent it by their license terms. The PTA is responsible for overseeing the installation of the firewall.
Under the PTI government in 2018, Pakistan acquired a web monitoring system from a Canadian company, which is still operational. In January, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority informed Aaj News about the ongoing upgrades to this system.
Experts point to China as a successful example of controlling the internet through sophisticated technology and stringent regulations. The Great Firewall of China operates on the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), utilizing keywords or sensitive phrases to flag potentially dangerous content. Access is blocked if such content is detected in a TCP packet, and further links from the same computer are restricted.
