Govt confirms installation of Web Monitoring System; blocks access to certain websites, applications

The government of Pakistan has formally confirmed the installation of the Web Monitoring System (WMS) for content management on the Internet.

According to the Cabinet, Pakistan Telecommunication (PTA) has installed WMS to manage content on the Internet, and the process of blocking websites and applications within Pakistan is underway.

PTA has blocked 2369 URLs and 183 mobile applications as of yet.

Earlier, PTA clarified that the ongoing internet slowdown across the country was mainly due to the failure of two of the seven international submarine cables connecting Pakistan to the outside world. The fault in the submarine cable is likely to be fixed by early October 2024.

Last week, the PTA told the Senate Standing Committee that Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) were overloading internet services in the country.