ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has acquired the nationwide web monitoring system forcyber surveillance across the country, Media Report has revealed.
Pakistan has acquired the services of Canada-based company Sandvine to helpit build a nationwide web monitoring system, the Pakistan-based newswebsite Codalinkhasreported.
The agreement raises serious concerns about privacy and civil liberties, asthe company is expected to provide equipment for monitoring and analysingall incoming and outgoing internet traffic from Pakistan, Sputnik hasreported.
Coda claims it has a copy of the agreement, signed for $18.5 million anddated 12 December, 2018, which states that the web monitoring system willuse Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) to monitor communications, measure andrecord traffic and call data on behalf of the country’s nationaltelecommunications regulator, the PakistanlinkTelecomAuthority (PTA).
As per the report, the contract was signed by a number of parties,including Pakistan firm Inbox Business Technologies Ltd, which is acting asa local partner for Sandvine and Pakistan Telecommunication Company for“procurement of hardware, software and provision of related services forweb monitoring system.”
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Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Azam Khan Swatilink told the Senate earlier the PTA hadasked Inbox Business Technologies and Sandvine Inc to provide equipment formonitoring grey traffic. At the same time, Khan maintained PTA was notinvolved with either of the companies and no public funds had been spent onthe project.
However, according to the Coda report, a March 2018 tender available on thePTA’s website invited bids for the web monitoring system (WMS) “at nationallevel, for identifying and blocking access to any on-line contentclassified as unlawful under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016”.
The PTA maintains that grey traffic is a crime and its efforts to monitorit through a technical solution are in accordance with the law and thejoint efforts of all stakeholders.
