Firewall Test Causes Internet Slowdown
The trial of a new firewall has caused a slowdown in social media, raising concerns about how it might affect internet-based businesses in Pakistan. Officials have assured that internet speeds will return to normal once the trial is finished.
The government has invested over Rs30 billion in developing this filtering system. Although the Ministry of Information Technology is overseeing the budget, the actual project management is handled elsewhere.
Work on the firewall began in January and has now moved to the commissioning phase, which will take a few weeks. The firewall is not intended to target internet businesses but to control the spread of fake news by social media influencers. These influencers are already facing legal action under the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016.
Despite the ongoing trial, a recent advertisement from the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) suggested that paperwork for a similar firewall was still pending. The PTA clarified that this is a different firewall meant solely for its internal systems, including four Next Generation Firewalls and two Web Application Firewalls, with a focus on securing their own IT infrastructure.
