ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has initiated the process of blocking illegal SIM cards. Beginning Friday, the first phase involves deactivating fake SIMs and those linked to canceled ID cards.
Sources indicate that the PTA is using data from NADRA to identify and block illegal SIMs. The second phase will involve blocking SIMs registered on expiring identity cards, while the third phase will target SIMs issued in the names of deceased individuals.
Before the SIM blocking process commenced, users received awareness messages urging them to update their SIM-related information. According to sources, the unauthorized use of mobile SIMs will not be tolerated, as fake SIMs are often linked to illegal activities.
Additionally, over the past three and a half years, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked more than 363,000 URLs categorized as illegal content. Between January 2021 and June 2024, the category of defamatory or impersonating content had the lowest blocking rate, with 307,610 URLs blocked by social media platforms. The overall blocking rate is 84.72%.
The PTA has also addressed 2,480 URLs related to contempt of court, with 1,496 of these being blocked by social media platforms, resulting in a blocking rate of 60.32%. The blocking rate for content concerning security and defense is somewhat higher.
PTA to Disable SIM Cards Linked to Cancelled or Expired IDs
Out of 101,682 URLs examined by the PTA, 74,224 were blocked, yielding a blocking rate of 73%. In the miscellaneous content category, action was taken on 6,853 URLs, with 5,621 of them blocked by social media platforms. The blocking rate for content against the glory of Islam was also high, with action taken on 46,103 URLs, of which 37,479 were blocked. For content related to sectarianism and hate speech, 34,673 URLs were examined, and 28,922 were blocked.
The highest blocking rate was observed in the unethical content category, where 158,054 URLs were examined, and 152,646 were blocked, resulting in a blocking rate of 96.46%. All 51 URLs related to proxy content were also blocked.
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