Pakistan is about to introduce its personal messaging platform, “Beep Pakistan,” designed initially for presidency staff, with plans for a wider public launch. The transfer comes amid rising issues over WhatsApp’s efficiency within the nation, which customers attribute to potential web restrictions.
The federal government has been growing Beep Pakistan for a while, with trials at present underway throughout the IT ministry.Officers emphasize the app’s sturdy safety features and information privateness, positioning it as a safer various to international platforms.
‘Beep Pakistan to be rolled out in 45 days’
“The design of the appliance is strong sufficient to supply it to the final residents of Pakistan at later phases, if desired,” mentioned Shaza Fatima Khwaja, state minister for IT and telecommunication. Haque, who at present heads the Nationwide Meeting’s standing committee on IT, mentioned govt plans to roll out the appliance to all its staff throughout the subsequent 45 days.
Whereas beforehand touted as a “WhatsApp killer,” the federal government now distances itself from such comparisons, insisting Beep Pakistan isn’t supposed to compete with current platforms. As a substitute, it is framed as a software to guard delicate data and bolster digital sovereignty.
The push for a home messaging app follows a December 2019 incident the place Pakistani officers had been focused by Pegasus spy ware, resulting in issues about WhatsApp’s safety. Though the federal government denies plans to ban WhatsApp, the promotion of Beep Pakistan indicators a transparent choice for a homegrown resolution.
The federal government has been growing Beep Pakistan for a while, with trials at present underway throughout the IT ministry.Officers emphasize the app’s sturdy safety features and information privateness, positioning it as a safer various to international platforms.
‘Beep Pakistan to be rolled out in 45 days’
“The design of the appliance is strong sufficient to supply it to the final residents of Pakistan at later phases, if desired,” mentioned Shaza Fatima Khwaja, state minister for IT and telecommunication. Haque, who at present heads the Nationwide Meeting’s standing committee on IT, mentioned govt plans to roll out the appliance to all its staff throughout the subsequent 45 days.
Whereas beforehand touted as a “WhatsApp killer,” the federal government now distances itself from such comparisons, insisting Beep Pakistan isn’t supposed to compete with current platforms. As a substitute, it is framed as a software to guard delicate data and bolster digital sovereignty.
The push for a home messaging app follows a December 2019 incident the place Pakistani officers had been focused by Pegasus spy ware, resulting in issues about WhatsApp’s safety. Though the federal government denies plans to ban WhatsApp, the promotion of Beep Pakistan indicators a transparent choice for a homegrown resolution.
Why some Pakistanis are anxious about Beep Pakistan
Critics, nonetheless, view the app as a part of a broader authorities technique to regulate on-line discourse and restrict entry to data. The latest disruptions to WhatsApp, coupled with the event of Beep Pakistan, elevate questions in regards to the authorities’s dedication to a free and open web. Digital rights advocates suspect that the nation’s testing and deployment of an web firewall, supposed to stifle dissent and crack down on free speech, could also be the reason for the disruption.
