Pakistan’s new national firewall to target ‘propaganda and unwanted content,’ confirms official

A woman uses a laptop on April 3, 2019, in Abidjan. (AFP/File)

• IT ministry official plays down concerns of crackdown on social media content, says the step is taken to protect national security
• Experts call it an ‘Internet surveillance mechanism’ that can easily become a threat to individual privacy and freedom of expression

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is installing a national firewall to filter and block “propaganda and unwanted content” online, enhance its capacity to protect digital data from hackers and ensure cybersecurity, confirmed a top government official on Sunday, emphasizing the measure was not aimed at curtailing dissent on social media.
A firewall is a network security device that monitors and filters incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security parameters. It constitutes a barrier that sits between a private internal network and the public Internet. The main purpose of a firewall is to allow non-threatening traffic in and to keep dangerous and undesirable traffic out.
Pakistan’s Internet regulatory body, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), already possesses the technological ability to block unwanted content and prevent the access of local users to specific websites. However, the installation of the national firewall is expected enhance its capability to filter and monitor the Internet content on a wider scale.
“The PTA is trying to enhance its capability through the installation of the national firewall to block propaganda, unwanted content on the Internet besides ensuring data protection and cybersecurity,” a top Ministry of Information Technology official told Arab News on condition of anonymity since he was not authorized to speak to media about the issue.
“The PTA is installing the firewall to boost national security,” he added. “The Internet users should not worry about any crackdown or limiting their views and traffic.”
Pakistan has frequently blocked the Internet and social media applications in the name of national security in recent years, prompting digital rights activists to express reservations over the firewall and its likely utilization to filter the social media content and stifle dissenting voices.
“Try to see the firewall within a broader national interest perspective, not just from the social media prism,” the ministry official said, acknowledging the firewall could also be used for filtering and blocking the social media content.
He noted that just the installation of the firewall was not going to be enough to achieve the objective, adding it would also require a complete infrastructure and mechanism to process and analyze the data and initiate further necessary corrective actions.
However, he declined to reveal information about the cost and purchase of the firewall.
“Every country is using the firewall to protect its data and national interest,” he continued. “Therefore, we should not worry about it.”
The PTA did not respond to Arab News’ queries until the filing of this report.
Information technology experts warned the advantages and disadvantages of a firewall would depend on its usage and the subsequent actions.
“We could use this firewall to block our users’ access to content like Islamophobia and pornography while filtering out content spreading propaganda against our national institutions,” Muhammad Zohaib Khan, Chairman of Pakistan IT Industry Association, the main representative body for the country’s IT and IT-enabled services, told Arab News. “This will help us protect against cyberattacks against our digital assets.”
He maintained the installation of the firewall was a “good step,” though he admitted its “benefits will depend on its use.
“As long as it doesn’t hurt the IT industry, we support the initiative,” he added.
Mubashir Sargana, a cybersecurity professional and an Internet public policy researcher, said the firewall would help the authorities identify the originator and recipients of specific content along with the whole chain involved in further spreading that it on social media and websites.
“Specific hashtags and keywords will be entered to filter the content and get real time popups with which the authorities will be able to easily track down its originator and recipients,” he said.
“This is basically an Internet surveillance mechanism that can easily become a threat to privacy and freedom of expression,” Sargana added. “Only time will tell if the authorities are going to use the firewall to boost cybersecurity or hound and curb online dissent.”