By WEB DESK: The government has made all preparations to control social media ‘their way’ by installing firewalls (filters) in internet companies, through which social media websites such as Facebook, YouTube, and X will be used to block ‘objectionable content’.
Firewall is not something new in Pakistan. Government agencies have been actively using firewalls to block websites and social apps. Now, the use of firewalls is being expanded.
In 2013, PTI had installed firewalls, meaning filters, from the Canadian company NetSweeper. With the help of the latest technologies, the firewalls installed will make monitoring social media content easy and effective.
In this regard, an official said, “Two objectives will be fulfilled with the firewall: identifying the locations from where propaganda material is being initiated and as a result, restricting the closure or access of those accounts.” They said, “I understand that the government will focus on identifying the sources of propaganda material to eliminate the root of the evil.”
The new setup will have a ‘word filtering system’ to detect such content, which the government considers objectionable or a threat to national security. In such cases, the filter will work like an information inspector.
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Furthermore, access to posts based on objectionable words or phrases used by the government or any of its institutions will be extremely limited or completely hidden. In this regard, all ‘objectionable posts’ within and outside the country will pass through the scrutiny of the firewall.
In addition, firewall filters will check and balance social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, etc. Preparation is also underway to prevent the ‘misuse’ of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
However, it should be noted that when access to a social media website like X is blocked, access to ‘X’ can be obtained using a VPN. This is a shortcut. Recently, there has been widespread blocking of X in Pakistan, so millions of users in Pakistan gained access to X through VPNs and expressed their opinions.
Now the government can make it mandatory for citizens to inform PTI about the VPNs they are using. Those who fail to do so may face difficulties.
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