Islamabad:
A message that makes rounds on social networks and WhatsApp groups has established alarm bells, suggesting that the authorities closely monitor calls and WhatsApp groups on a large scale, a claim that the PTA has quickly demolished.
The viral publication, heavy in speculation and light on evidence, states that a new “privacy mode” has been implemented, which allows officials to track the WhatsApp activity of each Pakistaní.
The publication also warns users who do not share political or religiously sensitive content, claiming that the offenders could face the arrest without prior notice.
“From midnight tonight, all groups will be placed in privacy mode, since new communication rules for WhatsApp and telephone calls will be applied in Pakistan.
In the next few days, strict groups and messages will be carried out, “said the message.
The message contains alarming claims on extensive surveillance measures.
He states that all telephone calls will be recorded and stored, while social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and X will be monitored closely.
In addition, it suggests that user devices will connect with government systems.
According to the message, discussing political or religious issues online could result in an arrest without a court order. It urges people to exercise caution and inform their family, friends and acquaintances about these supposed monitoring efforts.
However, a verification of facts revealed that the Telecommunications Authority of Pakistan (PTA) has categorically denied issuing such instructions or playing any role in monitoring the calls or messages of WhatsApp.
Due to the end -to -end encryption of WhatsApp (E2EE), the massive surveillance of private conversations is technically impossible.
WhatsApp uses end -to -end encryption technology (E2EE), which means that only the sender and the recipient can read messages. Even WhatsApp itself cannot access these conversations.
Digital rights expert Nighat of the Digital Rights Foundation confirmed that the encryption prevents the Pakistani authorities from carrying out large -scale surveillance of WhatsApp communications.
While governments cannot read encrypted messages, they can collect metadata, information about who communicates, the duration of conversations, locations (if the GPS is enabled) and group participation.
However, this form of surveillance generally addresses specific individuals instead of the general public.
Governments can use Spyware such as Pegasus or Malware to monitor people, but these tools are not effective for large -scale surveillance.
The statement that Pakistan has promulgated new laws to monitor all WhatsApp groups and calls is completely false.
However, authorities can still track metadata and perform specific surveillance of specific people of interest.
Experts recommend that users protect their digital privacy avoiding suspicious links and unauthorized applications and share online confidential information.
While mass surveillance is unlikely, people’s directed monitoring remains a possibility.
