Published today at the Guardian, Pakistan Bans Encryption Software
The only possible savior from our multiple, global crises, the Internet, is less free every day. Pakistan is a country where all Internet traffic is routed centrally, and can therefore be controlled (like in past instances where Facebook was inaccessible because of religious blasphemy). Similarly to China, Pakistan is taking steps to regulate the Internet very strictly as is the aim of this week's Legal Notice issued by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority:
The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority legal notice urged ISPs to report customers using "all such mechanisms including EVPNs [encrypted virtual private networks] which conceal communication to the extent that prohibits monitoring". Anyone needing to use this technology needs to apply for special permission, the notice said.
Requiring a private company providing Internet to tattle on its paying customers that use a specific kind of software is a very extreme measure:
"This is like banning cars because suicide bombers use them," said Shakir Husain, chief executive of Creative Chaos, a Karachi-based software company. "You have to find out who these guys [extremists] are. This is a blanket, knee-jerk, response."
Encryption is a built-in feature, or function, of many software programs. The benefits of encryption for users are vast and include protection of personal data from corporate ISPs, in this case these are the very companies that are tasked with reporting users that use encryption software. Using encryption while connecting to the Internet to protect one's data is a very important right that we must protect.
CC-BY-SA Attribution:Ono
Here are some projects to help you learn more about how encryption can keep your data safe:
Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security known as traffic analysis
Tactical Tech serves organizations to help them manage and control their data and technology. From their website: We believe the effective use of information and digital technologies can create more effective campaigns. Advocates need the right tools to gather and analyse information and the means to transform that information into action.
GPG (GNU Privacy Guard) is based on PGP (Pretty Good Protection) and allows users to encrypt and sign their data so that it can be protected from untrusted people and also verified as authentic. GPG is a tool for secure communication and data storage. It can be used to encrypt data and to create digital signatures. It includes an advanced key management facility.
Information on specific software for disk encryption, secure text chat, protecting files, and how to really delete your data. Protektor Services wants to assist by providing the right tools to help the people that need them without keeping them in the dark on how things actually work.
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