Pakistan denies firewall behind 4G disruptions as users complain of slow Internet
ISLAMABAD: A senior official of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Thursday rejected allegations that a national firewall system was causing disruptions to 4G Internet connections across the country, blaming the “slow” Internet on an outdated infrastructure and rising data consumption.
The denial from the PTA comes as Pakistani users across the country complain of sluggish 4G Internet connection, citing disruptions to calls on messaging platform WhatsApp. Last year, media reports said the government was installing an Internet firewall to monitor and regulate content and social media platforms, triggering concern among digital rights activists.
Pakistan has frequently blocked the Internet and social media applications in the name of national security in recent years. In a report released earlier this month, global rights organization Amnesty International claimed Pakistan is spying on millions of its citizens using a phone-tapping system and a Chinese-built Internet firewall that censors social media. The rights watchdog claimed that the WMS 2.0 firewall, which inspects Internet traffic, can block 2 million active sessions at a time.
