The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has unearthed an estimated 20 million daily attempts to access porn websites via VPNs in Pakistan, and in response blocked 844,000 pornographic websites.

It has also blocked an additional 180 thousand blasphemous URLs, according to government sources.

According to sources, government agencies also report such sites to the PTA in addition to receiving individual complaints regarding obscene content.

A few days ago, the PTA started blocking unregistered and illegal VPNs across the country, calling them security risks and citing a need to regulate VPN usage.

Also Read: PTA begins blocking unregistered VPNs in Pakistan

According to PTA sources, the action is being enforced through a firewall to identify and temporarily block VPNs that have not been officially registered. "VPNs are being temporarily blocked for whitelisting," PTA sources said, adding that the authority wants to speed up the VPN whitelisting process.

PTA officials highlighted that unregistered VPNs can pose a risk by accessing sensitive data and enabling access to illegal or objectionable content.

PTA began the registration of VPNs in 2010, and since then, approximately 20,500 VPNs have been registered, representing over 1,422 companies, as reported by PTA sources.

Also Read: Pakistan mandates VPN registration for cybersecurity enhancement

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has also expressed grave concern over obscene and blasphemous content online, which it described as harmful to societal and moral values. In a letter addressed to the PTA on Tuesday, the ministry emphasized that watching of obscene content in Pakistan had risen to an alarming level.

It called for swiftly removing content insulting religious beliefs, citing the rising issue of blasphemous material and its impact on moral standards in Pakistan.

The ministry’s letter highlighted that access to obscene content on many online platforms remained a concern despite the PTA's efforts. It also maintained that Pakistan ranks among the highest countries in accessing immoral content online, urging the PTA to intensify its efforts to remove immoral and blasphemous content.

The ministry underscored the detrimental social effects of such content, warning of the extremely negative impact on societal ethics and values.