VPNs are not the enemy

The discourse on VPNs (Virtual Private Network) in Pakistan has been very one-sided, and shows a complete misunderstanding and maybe deliberate misrepresentation of VPNs. 

Government officials usually paint VPNs as something evil used by terrorists for their criminal activities or by immoral men to watch pornographic content. But is that really true?

First, let me ask you this: Is putting our letters in an envelope and sealing with glue or tape immoral, before we send them by post? Is sending letters to friends through other friends rather than by post illegal or evil? The manager who gives an envelope stamped ‘Confidential’ to his trusted junior, telling him to take it to the CEO, and let no one else open it, is that a sin?

Is being in our homes – away from prying eyes, to rest and recuperate, living our ordinary lives – evil? Is talking in the safety of our homes or offices illegal? Is it immoral to lock our suitcases when checking them in for our flight? If something was stolen from your unlocked suitcase, wouldn’t everyone blame your foolishness, rather than the thief?

Does everyone assume you are planning something nefarious, when inside your home or office? Or do they assume you will sleep, work, use the bathroom, drink tea, watch TV, eat food, make phone calls, talk to family, read books, walk around, exercise, daydream, play games, etc. To most people, it doesn’t matter what you do at home or office. It’s your private life and not their business.

All these scenarios resonate with you because you are used to them. Humans have lived like this for centuries (except phones and TVs). To you, there is nothing immoral or evil in expecting privacy in our daily lives. Right to privacy is our fundamental human right, backed by Quran and Hadith, to maintain the dignity of our person. The right to privacy and dignity of person is also enshrined in Pakistan’s constitution, as well as the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Pakistan is signatory to.

However, the context of our world has radically changed. Most communication now is through the internet. We discuss our private lives through email, social media inboxes and WhatsApp. Computers, mobile phones and the internet are so intertwined into our lives that it is impossible to determine where our non-digital lives end and our digital lives start. Our phones lie on the night-table or pillow next to us while we sleep. Many people now even use phones in the bathroom, without realising that phone cameras can be hacked.

VPNs are the envelope and glue we seal our letters with. VPNs are the room we enter to talk privately. VPNs are the walls we put up to avoid prying eyes, the locks we use to avoid theft. In fact, VPNs are the homes we retire to with an expectation of privacy and dignity.

Do terrorists and criminals use VPNs? I am sure they do. Just like I am sure they also live in homes and use their rooms for private conversations. I am sure they also lock their suitcases and seal their letters. They must also use knives to cut vegetables and fruits with for cooking and eating, just like everyone else.

Are we going to destroy all homes and ask people to live on the street, just in case 0.1% of the population may be planning nefarious activities within their homes? Are we going to ban all knives and fire and just eat uncut, uncooked food because 0.01% people may use knives or fire to hurt someone?

Most of our work is now done on computers or over the internet. I am writing this article on my laptop too. Any work we create becomes our intellectual property, our asset. All creative works – books, articles, business reports, software, music, artwork, videos, games, etc – are assets at risk of being stolen when we send them over the internet, unless we lock our suitcase (use a VPN).

Unless we are in the safety of our homes (use a VPN), we risk hackers spying on us or stealing our data for nefarious purposes. Just 30 years ago, they needed to enter our homes to plant cameras to spy on us. But now our phones and computers have cameras and mics. Anyone can hack in through the internet to spy on us within the privacy of our homes and offices. Our financial data and identity documents, previously kept locked in a safe, are now stored on computers and phones. We need VPNs, firewalls and antivirus software to protect ourselves from those with bad intentions. Whether they are criminals wanting to steal from us or destroy our dignity, or businesses trying to data-mine, or governments spying on us – if you are not using a VPN, it’s like you have destroyed the walls around your home.

It was none of your business how we did our work, or when we used the bathroom, ate food, slept, watched TV or played games in our homes. So, why is it now your business which websites we visit to research for work, or to find recipes, play games, watch videos, read the news, or do anything within the privacy of our homes and offices?

Just because 0.1%, or 1.0%, or even 10% of people may be planning nefarious activities while in their homes or offices, does not give anyone the right to spy on 100% of the population and violate their right to privacy and dignity of person.

Harbouring suspicions and spying on others destroys trust and goodwill in a society. It destroys trust between individuals, as well as the trust between citizens and government. The moment governments start spying on citizens, people realise that those in power no longer care about serving and protecting them. Citizens know intrinsically that governments spy on them to prevent threats to their power, not to protect ordinary people. So, slowly citizens lose respect for and trust in their leaders.

While the European Union is fighting tech companies to protect EU citizens’ right to privacy, why are other governments fighting to strip their citizens naked of their dignity? In Pakistan, each subsequent government over the last few terms has increased surveillance and suppression of criticism and freedom of conscience and expression of all Pakistani citizens. We are the ones who elected and hired you and pay you through our taxes to manage our country, expecting you to serve and protect us. Why do we now increasingly want to be protected from you rather than protected by you?

All people with internet access should use VPNs to protect their privacy, information, assets and dignity of person. Every cybersecurity firm, antivirus company, and technology company in the world will tell you VPNs are essential to protect yourself, your family, and your business. This is the new global reality. Even Pakistani officials use VPNs, as seen by their social media activities.

And yet the PTA requires Pakistanis to register VPNs and government officials threaten to ban them? It’s like telling us to let the PTA know what medicine we use each time we are sick. You are not asking Pakistanis to register the guns they own because they can be used to hurt other citizens. You are instead asking us to register the locks and keys we use to stop armed burglars (who use those guns) from entering our homes. Why does the PTA and government need our VPN details, except to monitor our private lives? Do we now need to register our antivirus software and firewall too?

Pakistan is officially a democracy, which means all government officials, no matter what institution they belong to, are employees of Pakistani citizens. Does it make sense that employees cannot be criticised by the people who hired them? Or that employees think they have the right to spy on their employers?

The current government has promised major financial reforms and cutbacks in government spending. So, please consider why our taxes are being spent on activities that do not benefit us citizens in any way, in fact even harm us. I advise the finance ministry to identify government activities like these (which add zero value to the average citizen) and scale them back to dramatically cut government spending. A very easy filter is to consider if the activity improves the quality of life and income of the people. Or does it mainly serve the interests of those in power?

For those afraid of losing power, the solution is not to increase surveillance, but rather to increase trust between the citizens and government. Do not clamp down on criticism, but rather focus on serving the people. Focus on increasing income and quality of life of all citizens. Reduce poverty and increase literacy. Life is really difficult for the average Pakistani, who is reeling from the impact of the high taxes and high inflation of the last several years. Even middle-class individuals in Pakistan are now working two jobs to survive. Show us through your actions and results that your only focus is to improve the quality and ease of life and health and happiness of all Pakistanis, and the trust will come back. Increase trust, not surveillance.

If you are really doing your job, and have gained the trust of the people by making their quality of life better, why would they vote for someone else?

The writer is an aerospace engineer and an energy efficiency consultant, using Save Joules to help Pakistanis reduce their energy bills. Facebook: @savejoules

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed in this piece are the writer's own and don't necessarily reflect Geo.tv's editorial policy.

Originally published in The News