VPNs Blocking to Cause Drop in Business Activities
Staff Report: The Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat was informed here on Thursday that the blocking of VPNs will lead to drop in business activities.
It was informed that VPNs can be blocked in country but it will lead to drop in business activities.Users’ data at risk on public wifi: Kaspersky
Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Maj General (retd) Hafeez Ur Rehman informed the committee about the results of X (erstwhile twitter ) blockade in Pakistan.
He added that despite the availability of VPN in country, the number of X users in Pakistan has decreased by 70 percent.
Chairman PTA said that only 30 percent of users are using X through VPN.
Chairman of the Committee Senator Rana Mahmoodul Hasan inquired if the VPNs can be blocked by the PTA.
Responding to the query Chairman PTA said that the VPNs can be blocked but it will lead to the collapse of several IT businessee that operate on VPN.
The committee was informed by the Chairman PTA that the Authority was whitelisting VPNs so that only these VPNs will function in Pakistan and the others will stop functioning .
Meanwhile the law minister Azam Nazir Tarar added that many
social media platforms who have been accused to breaching security related protocols in the country have expressed consent to open offices in Pakistan.
He added that many social media platforms have offered to open their virtual offices in Pakistan.
Senator Tarar also pointed out that approximately 132 million people in Pakistan use social media for business purposes, but it was not under the tax net in country.
He added that social media revenues were taxed all over the world and suggested the same for Pakistan too.
Chairman, Senator Rana Mehmood-ul Hassan, raised concerns about the tax policy on cellular advertisements, emphasising that Pakistan lacks a formal policy for its regulation.
Senator Farooq Hamid Naek advised the committee members to focus on both national and international taxation legislation and to consider measures that ensure access to digital services for the general population.
Senator Farooq H. Naik pointed towards high cost of local mobile phones manufacturing in Pakistan.
He further emphasised that this tantamount to restricting access towards digital progress.
The Secretary of the Cabinet Division, acknowledging the suggestion, assured that the issue would be taken up with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
