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Pakistan begins blocking unregistered VPN apps  and this popular service is
among the casualties

Date:
Wed, 07 Jan 2026 16:57:32 +0000

Description:
Proton confirms its apps have been blocked since December 22. Here's what you
can do to evade restrictions.

FULL STORY

Pakistan has long planned to regulate VPNs, and now, authorities have
reportedly begun to block some major VPN services. Proton, the company behind
Proton VPN , confirmed on Sunday that its apps have been restricted in the
country since December 22. 

"Pakistan has followed countries like Russia, China, and Iran in blocking
their citizens from using VPNs for uncensored access to X and other social
media," said David Peterson , Proton VPN General Manager. 

The move follows the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) resuming VPN
licensing in November, when it announced a new framework to provide "secure
and lawful" VPN services to the public. 

 Virtual private network (VPN) apps have become a crucial tool for people in
Pakistan in recent years. That's largely because social media apps  including
X, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp  are often blocked in the country. 

However, VPNs do not just provide a way to circumvent content restrictions;
they are also used to enhance user privacy and security online. Consequently,
the recent restrictions on some of the best VPNs available could have major
repercussions for digital rights in the country. Which VPN apps have been
affected? 

It remains unclear exactly how many VPN providers have been affected so far. 

According to Daily Pakistan , providers including NordVPN , ExpressVPN ,
Surfshark , Mullvad , Cloudflare WARP, and Psiphon have all been impacted by
disruptions. 

When we reached out to NordVPN for comment, the company stated it had not
noticed any disruptions to its services, while a Surfshark spokesperson noted
its apps had experienced a "slight drop" but were otherwise unaffected. 

Some users on Reddit reported slow speeds and connection drops in the country
while also using ExpressVPN. We have reached out to the company for
confirmation. Other Reddit users lamented restrictions on other Proton apps,
including Proton Mail and Proton Pass . 

 Data from OONI Explorer indicates that access to Proton VPN's website may
also be affected. The number of anomalous test results  defined as results
that "present signs of potential network interference"  has increased in the
past week.

Pakistan has been attempting to crack down on VPN usage for years. 

After disrupting access to some VPN apps briefly in February 2024, PTA shared
plans to regulate the use of VPNs as a way to curb misuse in August that 
year. It was at this point that "unregistered VPNs" officially became a
target. 

An initial plan to ban all unregistered VPNs was halted just a day before the
deadline, following an intervention by Pakistan's Law Ministry citing a lack
of legal grounds . Subsequently, the PTA announced a new strategy focused on
licensing VPN service providers operating within the country. 

While the crackdown appeared to lose momentum throughout 2025, the initiative
remained on the agenda. On November 13, 2025, the PTA announced it had 
granted the first set of VPN licenses to five local companies. 

While much of the focus has surrounded Proton, it appears likely that other
VPN providers will also be affected in this latest wave of disruptions.

How to evade blocks

Despite the renewed scrutiny of VPN services in the country, effective
workarounds remain available.  Peterson suggests that anyone struggling to use
Proton VPN should update to the latest version and switch to its Stealth
Protocol . This protocol is designed to obfuscate VPN traffic, making it
harder to detect.

Likewise, NordVPN and Surfshark recommend using their respective NordWhisper
or NoBorders protocols to bypass restrictions.

Both Proton and Surfshark suggest users try connecting to several different
servers if their initial attempt fails, as not all servers are currently
restricted. 

"Newer servers (usually with higher numbers) and those from smaller countries
have the best chance of success," said Proton. 

Finally, Proton suggests switching between landline (Wi-Fi) and mobile data
connections, as different internet service providers (ISPs) often have 
varying rates of success when it comes to blocking VPN traffic. 

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. 
For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms
and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and
strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone
using a VPN service to break the law or conduct illegal activities. Consuming
pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future
Publishing. 

======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/pakistan-begins-blocking-un
registered-vpn-apps-and-this-popular-service-is-among-the-casualties

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