Using a VPN is "against Islamic law" says Pakistan religious chief

Date:
Wed, 20 Nov 2024 17:20:47 +0000

Description:
The debate around the use of VPNs in Pakistan intensifies

FULL STORY
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Pakistan's top religious body has said that using a VPN service to access
blocked content goes against Shariah, the Islamic law. 

The statement from the country's constitutional body for legal advice on
Islamic matters described their responsibility to prevent the "spread of
evil", according to the report from the Associated Press. 

Pakistan's residents have increasingly turned to virtual private network 
(VPN) software as a way to access X which has been blocked since February. 

Authorities announced plans to regulate the use of VPNs back in August. While
the debate is still ongoing on whether or not commercial VPNs should also be
blocked  the Pakistani English-speaking publication Dawn reported  businesses
and freelancers have time until November 30, 2024, to register their service
and avoid disruptions.

The Pakistan VPN debate 

"Using VPNs to access blocked or illegal content is against Islamic and 
social norms, therefore, their use is not acceptable under Islamic law," 
reads the official statement released on Friday, November 15, quoting the
Council of Islamic Ideologys chairman Raghib Naeemi  Voice of America 
reported . 

The statement also notes that any technology used to access "immoral or
illegal activities is prohibited according to Islamic principles," the
internet included. Illegal content includes "immoral and porn websites or
websites that spread anarchy through disinformation." 

On the same day, also the Ministry of Interior spoke out against VPN usage. 

In a letter sent to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), he calls
to block all "illegal" VPNs, claiming that terrorists use these tools "to
facilitate violent activities and financial transactions in Pakistan." Do you
know? (Image credit: Getty Images) On Sunday, November 9, 2024, people in
Pakistan lamented issues accessing their VPN apps throughout the day, in what
looked like the beginning of the crackdown on "unregistered" VPNs .
Authorities confirmed this to be a "brief technical glitch," while 
reiterating the need to register their service to avoid further disruptions. 

The best VPN providers have been recording an increase in usage from citizens
in Pakistan this year as people try to keep accessing X and other blocked
content online. This is because such security software spoofs a user's real 
IP address location to grant access to otherwise geo-restricted content while
encrypting internet connection to boost online anonymity. 

At times, VPNs have also become a target as authorities seek to prevent 
people from using these services to bypass government-imposed restrictions. 

 As Dawn reported , though, VPN usage is still permitted in Pakistan for
legitimate purposes. These include banking, foreign missions, corporate
enterprises, universities, IT companies, call centers, and freelance
professionals. 

Authorities are now urging companies and freelance workers operating in the
aforementioned sectors to complete the VPN registration with PTA by the end 
of the month. Failing to do that could mean further service interruptions in
the future. 

While it isn't clear yet how the blocking will work in practice, the new
legislation aims to curb VPN misuse and security risks. Authorities deemed
unregistered VPNs a "security risk" for Pakistan as they can be used to 
access "sensitive data." 

Yet, at the same time, internet experts also believe that the increase in
censorship is the main cause of the decline of the country's internet, with
VPNs remaining the best tool to keep accessing the free web.

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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/vpn/using-a-vpn-is-against-islamic-law-says-paki
stan-religious-chief

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