PTA to regulate user information on public WiFi hotspots

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has recently designed some policy rules for the user information on public Wi-Fi Hotspots.

As per the new rules, every Access Provider and Class Licensing Registration licensees would be obliged to register, maintain and reserve the data/information of the people using the data services through public Wi-Fi Hotspots. Afterward, they would have to provide the user information to PTA.

PTA made sure that licensee(s) are required to devise a way so that minimum information is required from the users.

While the information to be tracked is as following:

• Full name of the user
• CNIC number /passport numbers (in case of foreigners)
• Mobile number [shall be used as Login ID]
• Acceptance of Terms and Conditions to use of such Data Services facilities
• Generation of the password through SMS.

Moreover, the owner of Public Wi-Fi Hotspot would be required to maintain a log of following information of the users for at least six months:

• Full Name of the User
• CNIC number/passport numbers (in case of foreigners)
• Mobile Number
• Date & time of login
• Date & time of log off
• IP address allocated to the user
• MAC Address
• Internet Access Log (e.g. Http, POP, IMAP, Skype, etc)

Not only that, there are other rules as licensees would have to carry out awareness campaigns amongst the existing public Wi-Fi hotspot providers to make necessary arrangements for compliance of these regulations, within three months.

The licensees are made sure to make sure that the procedures are properly implemented over their systems. In case of non-compliance, the Wi-Fi hotspots provided by the Service Providers would be terminated.

The Authority has officially issued a draft comprising the regulations, titled as “Data Retention of Internet extended to WiFi-Hotspots Regulations, 2018″. The PDF of which can be accessed through here.

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Image via wifihotspot