Govt Conducts Successful Firewall Trials for Social Media Regulation

The government of Pakistan is working to launch a national firewall to monitor and regulate social media content. According to a credible source from the Ministry of Interior, the government has successfully conducted the trial phase and is now finalizing the purchase of the firewall.

During the trial, the firewall effectively blocked voice recordings, pictures, and video downloads on different social media platforms. Moreover, it also checked for mobile data leaks and reduced mobile internet service speeds. The federal government wants to control the dissemination of any kind of content, with costs shared between the government and ISPs.

Furthermore, the sources said that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will manage the firewall installation. In this regard, the national telecom regulator has informed all mobile companies to clear the installation process. The government has plans to install a firewall on all internet service providers (ISPs) and telecom companies.

“The firewall enables deep packet inspection to filter social media and block content at the IP level.” 

It is pertinent to mention here that a few days ago PTA invited tender for the installation of next-generation firewalls and web application firewalls. The telecom regulator also mentioned that the next-generation firewalls will be acquired from China to ensure high security and reliability.

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