The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has successfully completed an initial trial aimed at shutting down unregistered Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), with plans to initiate a comprehensive crackdown beginning in December.

A second trial is scheduled to take place in the coming days, as part of the PTA’s efforts to enforce compliance. Unregistered VPNs have been given a grace period until November 30 to meet registration requirements. Following this deadline, a nationwide crackdown will commence on December 1 to block any VPNs that remain unregistered, according to a report by ProPakistani.

This move follows a directive from the Ministry of Interior, which last week instructed the PTA to block all unregistered VPNs, citing them as security risks. The ministry highlighted concerns that these VPNs could potentially expose sensitive data and allow access to objectionable content. The PTA is tasked with ensuring that such content remains inaccessible within Pakistan.

In preparation for the enforcement measures, the PTA is considering a second trial and plans to provide a two-week notice to users of unregistered VPNs before taking action.