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The Internet Is Serious Business

Report: Pakistan Officially Bans All Online Encryption

by James Plafke | 3:08 pm, August 30th, 2011

The Express Tribune is reporting that “reports are coming out” claiming that the Pakistani government has told all ISPs in the country to prevent any user from using technology that would allow them to privately browse the Internet. Goodbye anonymity. The source of the story, an employee at an Islamabad-based ISP, says the Pakistani government is claiming the measure is only intended to prevent militants from using a secure connection to communicate with each other. However, this could be achieved by preventing all Pakistani Internet users from using VPNs, rather than banning all forms of encryption, a seemingly simple measure that was not outlined in the directive to Pakistani ISPs.

The report also mentions that Pakistan has become “increasingly aggressive” with blocking access to websites, citing how the entirety of Rolling Stone has been blocked since July. The source, the same person at the Islamabad ISP, claims that the ISP received a notice to block a post by writer Matt Taibbi, but since they were unable to block a single URL on a website, they had to block the entire domain.

One can’t help but wonder how companies deal with information that basically has to be encrypted by nature, such as bank transactions, shopping and shipping details, and account (regardless of what the account is for) login information.

(The Express Tribune via Techdirt)

  • http://profiles.google.com/reinkefj ferdinand reinke

    I guess they have never heard of stenography? Or just old fashioned Morse Code? I upload a sequence of pictures and the order alone transmit information. Guess they’ve never heard of a code book. (Just shaking my head)

  • Driftpeasant

    Steganography.  Stenography is the art and science of transcription.

  • concerned

    They just destroyed their country men’s lives if someone from outside their country can steal all of their important information like business transactions, banks transactions, nuclear information, govt information… If they have a social security program in their country that also can be taken by outside thieves who do not need to stop encrypting their web connections…The country will not be protected and will fold-under!  What are they thinking?!

  • Anonymous

    ‘GUYS,i cant believe this!! me and my sister just got two i-pads for $42.77 each and a $50 amazon card for $9. the stores want to keep this a secret and they dont tell you.
    go here, EgoWin. com

  • Raufguy

    how the heck can they “block” encryption? isnt encrypted data just a stream of bytes which is indecipherable? im wondering how they would single that out? what about using proxies and programs such as Torr? To my knowledge there is no way to prevent encryption.

  • concerned

    They can’t prevent encryption, but they are looking to search out any who will try to encrypt thru their servers and arrest him/them for spying/hacking. They can only police.


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