- The Pakistani government plans to launch “Beep Pakistan,” a communication app for federal officials, emphasizing that it is not meant to compete with WhatsApp but rather to ensure secure communication and protect privacy and data within government communications. The app is currently undergoing trials and will soon be introduced to other departments, with potential future availability for the general public.
- The announcement of Beep Pakistan comes amid ongoing internet disruptions and security concerns, including issues with accessing multimedia content on platforms like WhatsApp and previous spyware targeting government officials. There is no intention to block WhatsApp in Pakistan, and the app aims to provide a local solution similar to those in other countries, like China’s WeChat.
- Beep Pakistan is being developed by local developers and emphasizes safety, security, and encryption. The app’s privacy policy indicates data will be stored on National Telecom Corporation servers and won’t be shared externally unless required by law, raising concerns among digital rights activists about user privacy and government oversight.
The Pakistani government is preparing to launch “Beep Pakistan,” a communication app specifically developed for federal officials and employees. However, they’re asking people not to compare it to WhatsApp, the widely-used messaging platform.
Shaza Fatima Khwaja, the state minister for information technology and telecommunication, revealed that the app is currently being tested in her ministry and will soon be introduced to other government departments.
“We’ve created an app to ensure secure and unified communication among government officials, aiming to safeguard our privacy and data,” she explained to Al Jazeera.
Back in August 2023, Syed Aminul Haque, who was the Minister of IT at the time, announced plans for the app, calling it Pakistan’s alternative to WhatsApp. However, the government now wishes to distance itself from this comparison.
Khwaja stated, “Comparing it to WhatsApp is not accurate; we have no intention to compete with any third-party platform.”
This announcement comes amid ongoing internet issues faced by Pakistanis. In April, the government confirmed that X, a social media platform, had been banned since February due to “security threats.”
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Recently, complaints have been filed with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the leading telecom regulator in the country, regarding internet slowdowns. Earlier this month, users also reported issues accessing multimedia content such as images, documents, and voice notes on WhatsApp.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar dismissed these concerns, attributing them to a global technology outage that occurred earlier in the month.
Mobile data services were also suspended during the country’s elections in February.
Concerns about the security of WhatsApp have been prevalent within the Pakistani government, especially after reports in December 2019 indicated that Pegasus, spyware from Israeli cybersecurity firm NSO, targeted at least two dozen senior officials.
At that time, the government advised officials against sending sensitive documents via WhatsApp and announced plans to develop a secure local communication app.
Khwaja emphasized that the new app would ensure “data privacy and protection” in government communications. While it will be launched for government departments soon, she noted that “the application’s design is robust enough to be offered to the general public in Pakistan at a later stage, if desired.”
She also denied any plans to block WhatsApp in Pakistan, dismissing such concerns as “unnecessary exaggerations.”
“The goal of Beep Pakistan is to provide secure communication for the government, and comparisons with commercial apps are irrelevant,” she said. “Beep will serve as an official platform for government communication, while citizens can use any legal platform for personal communication.”
Babar Majid Bhatti, CEO of the National Information Technology Board (NITB), which is responsible for developing Beep Pakistan, reiterated that the app should not be compared to WhatsApp.
“WhatsApp is a commercial product, whereas Beep Pakistan is an official, secure platform. Their purposes and objectives are different,” he told Al Jazeera.
Haque, the former minister who initiated work on the app, highlighted a strategic reason for the project.
Now leading the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information Technology, Haque explained that the app aims to provide Pakistan with a homegrown messaging platform, similar to what China and the United States have.
“This is a fully made-in-Pakistan product. Like China’s WeChat or the United States’ WhatsApp, we wanted something similar for Pakistan, and that’s where Beep comes in,” he told Al Jazeera.
Bhatti of the NITB mentioned that Pakistani developers from the private sector assisted in the app’s development but did not disclose details about its safety features or development costs.
“The core aspect of any application, especially Beep Pakistan, is its safety and security. I assure you that this application incorporates all necessary layers, including encryption,” he said.
However, Beep Pakistan’s privacy policy states that the app will collect various device information, such as location, connection data, and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.
The policy further clarifies that this information will be stored on local servers at the National Telecom Corporation (NTC), Pakistan’s official telecom and ICT provider.
“Beep will not share, rent, or sell your personal information to other parties, as the data is only stored on NTC’s local servers,” the privacy policy states, adding that it may disclose relevant personal information if required by law.
The NTC has previously experienced hacking attempts, with the most recent attack in May 2022, causing some government websites to be offline for several hours. However, the government clarified that the data centers were not affected.
In August 2016, the US-based media outlet The Intercept reported that the United States had hacked NTC servers to spy on Pakistan’s political and military leadership.
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Digital rights activists are cautious about the app’s digital safeguards.
“Government apps often risk exposing sensitive user data due to unsecured data or app assets,” said Ramsha Jahangir, a digital rights expert, to Al Jazeera. “Beep’s privacy policy indicates that they will collect sensitive personal information, including social media links. How can its safety and security be assured?”
Experts also point to other countries’ attempts at developing local messaging apps.
India’s Koo, a platform similar to X, was created in 2020 and received government backing. Although a private venture, it was supported by senior leaders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, who migrated to the platform amidst a conflict with Twitter, then known as X.
The Indian government had demanded Twitter block accounts critical of Modi’s administration.
Despite the support, Koo shut down earlier this month due to funding issues.
“We’ve seen local apps like Koo face challenges in the past. Building an app requires substantial technical expertise, time, consistency, and resources,” Jahangir said.
She added, “Local solutions should prioritize respecting users’ privacy rather than merely expanding government control over the private sector.”
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Source: Al Jazeera