VPN usage was brought up at a Senate committee on IT and Telecom meeting that was chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan.

According to Chairman PTA, the authority is getting complaints about social networking apps, such as 22% of requests from X (previously Twitter), 65% of complaints from Meta, and 95% of complaints from TikTok.

Senator Humayun Mohmand questioned whether it would be against the rules for an assembly member to use a VPN.

Chairman PTA retorted that, similar to China and Dubai, the authority is trying to oversee internet limitations in Pakistan.

Twenty-five thousand people have registered their VPNs with the authorities, according to the PTA chairman. He also stated that a campaign is being launched to encourage registration, and unregistered VPNs will eventually be blocked.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had introduced a one-window process for whitelist IP and VPN registration in an effort to guarantee the continuous functioning of enterprises, including software houses, contact centres, freelancers, and foreign embassies.

The PTA and PSEB websites now offer a unified “one window” operation for the registration process.

Over 20,000 IPs have already been registered since 2020 thanks to this continuous effort, which is managed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Ministry of Information Technology (MOIT), Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), and Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA).

The goal of the program is to guarantee that companies may continue to conduct secure internet operations.

It is recommended that businesses register their VPNs in order to protect their online activity and optimise their workflow.

Businesses can visit the PTA website to register easily.

Installing a firewall might be difficult.
It is important to note that senior writer Hamid Mir, represented by attorney Imaan Mazari, filed a lawsuit in the Islamabad High Court opposing the installation of a firewall and the shutdown of the internet.

In his appeal, the applicant said that the firewall’s installation had seemingly resulted in a sharp decrease in internet speed, harming the young people who are the backbone of the digital economy.

In an effort to increase sales of its renowned product, Apple is anticipated to unveil its most recent lineup of iPhones on Monday. These phones will include generative AI capabilities.

The Steve Jobs-founded company hasn’t revealed much about what it intends to showcase during its “Glowtime” launch event, which will take place at its Cupertino, California, headquarters.

Nonetheless, this is the season when Apple usually refreshes its range of iPhone models.

With so much riding on the potential iPhone 16, Apple is hoping that new AI capabilities would draw consumers in and encourage them to purchase the newest models.

The iPhone, which generated $39 billion in sales in the most recent quarter, accounts for almost 60% of Apple’s total income and continues to be the primary gateway to the company’s services, which are starting to take off and include the App Store and Apple TV.

Apple is only now emerging from a protracted sales downturn as customers continue to hold onto older models for longer.

According to Dipanjan Chatterjee, principal analyst at Forrester, “the iPhone 16 will be one of the most significant iPhone introductions, not because of what’s on the outside but because of what’s inside, namely Apple Intelligence.”

In addition to a relationship with OpenAI, the firm that makes ChatGPT, introduced “Apple Intelligence,” a new set of software features for all devices, during its annual developers conference in June.

These include AI-enhanced image editing, translation, and subtle artistic additions to messages in the near term, but not the more far-reaching innovations that OpenAI and Google have promised.

“Superb Siri”
In addition, Apple announced that Siri, its AI-enabled digital assistant, will now show up as a pulsating light on the edge of a home screen.

Regarding Monday’s event, Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi said that “Siri will be a big part of the conversation.”

Since its launch more than a decade ago, GPT-4o, the newest assistant from OpenAI, and other newer models have eclipsed the once-ubiquitous Siri.

Analysts following Apple anticipate the company will release iPhone 16 versions with unique CPUs to support certain AI functions, such as the enhanced Siri.

Apple hopes to “shake that expectation” that new iPhones are “just steady improvements in hardware and software” by including AI capabilities, according to Techsponential analyst Avi Greengart.

With “super-powered Siri” that functions with all apps, Apple has the potential to significantly alter the iPhone experience in the long run, according to Greengart.

Pixel strength
Apple’s presentation closely follows Google’s, which presented its challenge to the iPhone last month with the release of AI-enabled Pixel 9 devices.

Pixels make up a very small portion of the massively dominant global smartphone industry held by Samsung and Apple, but Google claimed that their new range offers an opportunity to address the question of what, despite all the hype, AI can really achieve for consumers.

At Google’s Mountain View, California, campus, senior vice president of devices Rick Osterloh stated, “There have been so many promises, so many ‘coming soons,’ and not enough real-world helpfulness when it comes to AI—which is why today we’re getting real.”

Samsung, which wants to maintain its lead in smartphone sales worldwide, has also included AI into a number of its consumer electronics goods.

 Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif was visited in Islamabad by a four-person Google delegation led by Mr. Scott Beaumont, President of the APAC area.

Pakistan’s digital economy is about to undergo a revolutionary change, according to the prime minister, who greeted the team. Speaking on the government’s intentions to reach the goal of US$ 25 billion in exports over the next five years, the prime minister revealed that funding will be used for youth training, IT infrastructure upgrades, and regulatory environment enhancements. Pakistan’s economy is being fully digitalised, he remarked. In his attempts, he stressed the need of working together with a tech behemoth like Google.

The Prime Minister praised Google for pioneering projects that have dramatically enhanced the lives of thousands of Pakistanis in recent years, as well as for its involvement in propelling the country’s digital economy closer to reality. Noting with satisfaction that Google has helped Pakistani young land about a million jobs in 2023 alone, the Prime Minister emphasised that this is a testament to both Google’s dedication to upskilling and empowering Pakistan’s youth and Pakistan’s potential in the digital marketplace.

Informing the Prime Minister of its future involvement intentions, Mr. Scott stated that Google has made the decision to support the government’s youth skill-training initiatives and to expand its investment footprint in Pakistan. He went on to say that for a values-driven digital firm like Google, the growing economy and the sizeable youth population are crucial for optimising the economic benefits of technology. He restated that Pakistan’s IT industry will undergo a revolution when five lac Chromebooks are produced there by 2026.