Pakistan has banned the use of communication encryption protocols
The Pakistan Ministry of Telecommunications (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, PTA) sent a letter to the country's Internet providers that prohibits ISPs from using any encryption technology that impedes traffic monitoring. The letter specifically mentions virtual private networks using encryption (EVPN).
Apparently, the authorities will also try to block all SSL and SSH traffic in order to ensure unimpeded monitoring of communication channels.
The ban on EVPN has been imposed in accordance with the requirements of national security and the norms of the law on monitoring and interaction of international telephone traffic of 2010 (Monitoring & Reconciliation of International Telephone Traffic, 2010). The letter notes that providers do not fully comply with the norms of this document and actively provide VPN services to their customers.
A PTA spokesman explained that the law should prevent terrorists from using encrypted communications. Unfortunately, the only way to guarantee this, he said, is to ban traffic encryption for all citizens of the country.
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Experts point out the inappropriateness of such a decision by the authorities, because encrypted VPNs are widely used by commercial companies that have nothing to do with politics. For example, banks need to establish a secure connection with a client to transfer secret information - passwords, account numbers, etc. “It's like banning cars because suicide bombers used them,” says Shakir Husain, director of Pakistan-based software company Creative Chaos, which also uses VPN.
Apparently, the authorities will also try to block all SSL and SSH traffic in order to ensure unimpeded monitoring of communication channels.
The ban on EVPN has been imposed in accordance with the requirements of national security and the norms of the law on monitoring and interaction of international telephone traffic of 2010 (Monitoring & Reconciliation of International Telephone Traffic, 2010). The letter notes that providers do not fully comply with the norms of this document and actively provide VPN services to their customers.
A PTA spokesman explained that the law should prevent terrorists from using encrypted communications. Unfortunately, the only way to guarantee this, he said, is to ban traffic encryption for all citizens of the country.
')
Experts point out the inappropriateness of such a decision by the authorities, because encrypted VPNs are widely used by commercial companies that have nothing to do with politics. For example, banks need to establish a secure connection with a client to transfer secret information - passwords, account numbers, etc. “It's like banning cars because suicide bombers used them,” says Shakir Husain, director of Pakistan-based software company Creative Chaos, which also uses VPN.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/127448/
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