Officials of the National Information Technology Board (NITB) said on Tuesday that Pakistani engineers have developed a system for secure communications between government officials. Messaging app has been developed, which has also been successfully tested.
NITB Chief Executive Officer Babar Majeed says that if the government approves, this messaging platform can be made available to millions of citizens.
The messaging app is called ‘Beep’ and according to Pakistani authorities, it has been developed entirely in the country. “Beep has been successfully trialled since 2023 and is now ready for launch,” says Babar Majeed.
On the other hand, ordinary Pakistanis are facing difficulties in accessing the social networking platform X, which was blocked by the government before the general elections in February this year.
These elections were marred by allegations of violence, unusual shutdown of mobile phone services across the country and vote rigging.
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Officials later said that the suspension of phone services was necessary for security reasons, but critics and Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan say that the main purpose of shutting down phone services and the internet was to rig the vote, but the government denied them. Denies the allegations.
In Balochistan and other areas too, restrictions have been imposed on the Internet. Phone services are also suspended in Pakistan every year on the occasion of Ashura.
According to research by Dutch cyber security company SurfShark BV, Pakistan has imposed internet restrictions five times during and after elections. The company provides VPN services and data leak detection, and also tracks government restrictions on the internet and social media.
This company says that these steps taken by the government violate the basic principles of democracy and hinder the conduct of free elections.
The suspension of phone and internet services in Pakistan also affects communications between officials and security forces, hence the development of ‘Beep’, which Babar Majeed says will ensure uninterrupted communication between officials. will
They say the app is designed to share text, audio and video and make conference calls.
It requires an internet connection to use, but Babar Majeed did not elaborate on how internet access would be limited to Pakistani officials or possibly others using the app.
However, they said that ‘Beep’ is more secure than other messaging apps.
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2024-08-01 05:57:55
