Islamabad:
A message that makes the rounds on social media and WhatsApp groups has set alarm bells ringing, suggesting that authorities are watching the WhatsApp calls and groups on a massive scale -a claim that PTA has quickly shot down.
The viral post, heavy on speculation and light on evidence, claims that a new “privacy state” has been rolled out, enabling officials to track the WhatsApp activity for each Pakistani.
The post also warns users against sharing political or religiously sensitive content and claiming that offenders could be arrested without warning.
“From midnight tonight, all groups will be placed under privacy, as new communication rules for WhatsApp and phone calls are enforced in Pakistan.
In the coming days, strict monitoring of groups and messages will take place, “the message reads.
The message contains alarming allegations of extensive monitoring measures.
It claims that all phone calls will be recorded and stored, while social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and X will be closely monitored.
In addition, it suggests that users’ devices will be connected to government systems.
According to the message, discussing political or religious topics online can result in arrest without a justification. It encourages individuals to exercise caution and inform their family, friends and acquaintances about these alleged surveillance efforts.
However, a fact control revealed that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has categorically refused to issue such instructions or play some role in the monitoring of WhatsApp calls or messages.
Due to WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption (E2EE), mass surveillance of private conversations is technically impossible.
WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption (E2EE) technology, which means that only the sender and the recipient can read messages. Even WhatsApp itself cannot access these conversations.
Digital Rights Expert Nighat Dad of the Digital Rights Foundation confirmed that the encryption prevents Pakistani authorities from performing large-scale monitoring of WhatsApp communication.
While governments cannot read encrypted messages, they may collect metadata – information about who you are communicating with, the duration of conversations, placements (if GPS is enabled) and group participation.
However, this type of monitoring is typically targeted at specific individuals rather than the public.
Governments can use spyware like Pegasus or Malware to monitor individuals, but these tools are not effective at large -scale monitoring.
The claim that Pakistan has passed new laws for monitoring all WhatsApp groups and calls is completely false.
However, the authorities can still trace metadata and carry out targeted monitoring of specific persons of interest.
Experts recommend that users protect their digital privacy by avoiding suspicious links and unauthorized apps and sharing sensitive information online.
While mass surveillance is unlikely, targeted monitoring of individuals remains an option.
