Category: Technology

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will not block the virtual private networks (VPNs) despite having the capability to do so, the telecom regulator chief said on Monday. Addressing a launching ceremony of the PTA annual report 2024, its chairman Maj Gen (retd) Hafeez Ur Rehman said: “We had said earlier that we can block VPNs but we won’t do it.” Earlier, the regularity authority decided against blocking VPNs as the government extended the deadline for registering proxies beyond November 30. However, a new date has not been announced for the VPN…

As users across Pakistan continue to face internet hindrances, resulting in difficulties with browsing, as well as downloading and sharing media files, Sajjad Mustafa Syed, chairman of the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), has hinted at “possible surveillance” of social media platforms. “If a message is being delivered on WhatsApp but a picture is not, it is possible that monitoring is underway,” he said in a statement. Reports indicate that both WiFi and mobile data services were experiencing severe slowdowns, making it nearly impossible for users to send or receive…

ISLAMABAD: A crackdown is expected on Virtual Private Network (VPN) usage if the last date for its registration, which expires on Saturday (today), is not extended, Geo News quoted citing sources. At least 27,000 VPNs have been registered by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) so far. The sources said the telecommunication authority has stressed on importance of VPN registration for improving cybersecurity and ensuring national security as well as data protection. Stakeholders, including the IT industry and freelancers, have been pushing for an extension of the deadline for the registration.…

Meta’s platform WhatsApp announced that it was rolling out a message draft feature for iOS which will now be available for use over the coming weeks. The latest feature has been designed to assist user keep track of partially composed messages which makes it easier to revisit and complete them later, reported WABetaInfo. Users can finally reduce the time spent searching through conversations for unsent messages by flagging these incomplete messages directly in the chat list. According to the official change log on the App Store, the message drafts are now…

WASHINGTON: The US Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday it had approved the return to flight of the SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle after the agency reviewed and accepted the SpaceX-led investigation findings and corrective actions for the mishap that occurred on September 28. The FAA said on September 30 that SpaceX had to investigate why the second stage of its Falcon 9 malfunctioned after a Nasa astronaut mission, grounding the launch vehicle for the third time in three months. The malfunction caused the booster to fall into a region of…

Scientists may have solved a persisting mystery surrounding the ice giant Uranus and its weak radiation belts. The belts’ weakness is possibly connected to the planet’s curiously tilted and lopsided magnetic field. Moreover, the field could be causing “traffic jams” for particles whipping around the world, reported Space. Far before Voyager 2 left the solar system in 2018, the mystery dates back to the probe’s visit to Uranus in January 1986. Interestingly, Uranus’s magnetic field was found to be asymmetric and tilted roughly 60° away from its spin axis by the…

Global technological giant Meta has decided to lift its blanket ban on the use of word “shaheed” (martyr) as per the recommendations of its Oversight Board. The company, which also own prominent social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, announced the policy change after accepting the board’s extensive review which assessed that the blanket ban might be censoring those speaking about violence in conflict-hit places such as Gaza and Sudan. The word “Shaheed”, which Meta itself has accepted to being subjected to one of the most over-enforced blanket bans, has…

The social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, has once again changed its policy regarding its blue check that is given to accounts as a sign of verification. X has announced that users with large followings will now receive a free subscription and this coveted blue check mark. This verification symbol was once exclusive to celebrities, institutions, and journalists. Later, Elon Musk restricted it to paying subscribers, leading to many losing their blue checks. However, this Wednesday, users were taken aback to see their blue ticks restored. X explained…