Stressing the need to block access to immoral or blasphemous content on the internet, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Friday declared the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) as “un-Islamic”.
In a statement, Council of Islamic Ideology Chairman Dr Raghib Hussain Naeemi said the government has the right to curb evil and prevent access to it.
He declared that taking measures to prevent or restrict the access to immoral and offensive content is in accordance with the Sharia.
“Using VPN with the intention of accessing illegal content or blocked websites is against the Shariah.”
Online theft is also possible through VPN without leaving any traces, Naeemi said, adding that it is responsibility of the government to prohibit the use of such means which can undermine social values and the observance of law.
He said every Muslim is bound to abide by the Constitution and laws of the country unless they are contrary to the Islamic principles.
The development came hours after the Ministry of Interior wrote a letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block illegal VPNs, highlighting increasing risks to national security and public morality.
“VPNs are increasingly being exploited by the terrorists,” stated the ministry’s letter, a copy of which obtained by Geo News, “[…] to facilitate violent activities and financial transactions in Pakistan.”
“Off late, an alarming fact has been identified, wherein VPNs are used by terrorists to obscure and conceal their communications.”
Additionally, the unregulated VPNs were also being used for discreetly accessing pornographic and blasphemous content, it added.
VPNs are commonly used worldwide to bypass restricted content.
In Pakistan, the use of VPNs witnessed a spike after authorities banned social media site X (formerly Twitter) earlier this year over “national security” concerns.
However, when it comes to its misuse, Pakistanis are making up to 20 million daily attempts to access blocked explicit content via unregistered virtual private networks, despite government restrictions.
Pointing to another issue related to public morality, the ministry stated that “Pakistan is considered one of the countries where porn sites are frequently visited by using VPNs, however, these trends warrant the prohibition of unauthorised virtual private networks to address the critical threats”.
In its formal request to ban these illegitimate platforms, the PTA was requested to “block illegal VPNs across Pakistan so that registered VPN users may not be affected”.
“In addition, registration of VPNs with PTA may also be made till November 30, 2024,” it asserted.
