ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s telecom regulator said on Tuesday it blocked more than 1,300 websites, applications and social media pages involved in selling leaked data of Pakistani nationals.
The development follows a local broadcaster’s report that thousands of Pakistanis, including federal ministers and senior officials, were affected by a personal data breach, with the information now being offered for sale online.
The leaked data reportedly includes the addresses of mobile phone subscribers, call logs, copies of national identity cards and records of foreign travel. The breach appears to cover a wide range of individuals across different levels of government.
Only licensed telecom companies are responsible for storing and managing subscriber data, according to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
"In its ongoing crackdown on unlawful content, PTA has blocked 1,372 sites, apps and social media pages involved in selling or sharing personal data," it said in a statement.
"Initial review shows the reported datasets include family details, travel records, vehicle registrations and CNIC copies indicating aggregation from multiple external sources, not telecom operators."
The PTA added that it did not find any breaches within the licensed telecom sector.
On Monday, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi ordered an investigation into the sensitive data leak, directing the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency to probe the matter and submit a report within 14 days.
Dozens of websites were offering the sensitive data at low prices, with mobile location information available for Rs500, detailed mobile records for Rs2,000 and international travel details for Rs5,000, according to a local media report.
This is not the first time that personal information of Pakistani nationals has been leaked online, raising concerns about potential misuse with far-reaching consequences for those affected.
In May this year, the National Cybercrime Emergency Response Team issued a warning that login credentials and passwords of more than 180 million Internet users in Pakistan had been stolen in a global data breach, urging people to take immediate protective measures.
In March 2024, a joint investigation team, formed to probe a data leak from the National Database and Registration Authority, told the interior ministry that credentials of as many as 2.7 million Pakistanis had been compromised between 2019 and 2023.
