Pakistan to Unveil ‘Beep Pakistan’ Messaging App for Govt
The application will be an official platform for government communication.
Pakistan is set to introduce a new communication application, “Beep Pakistan,” primarily for government use. The app, aimed at federal officials and employees, is part of an effort to ensure secure and unified communication within the government. Shaza Fatima Khwaja, the state minister for information technology and telecommunication, emphasized that Beep Pakistan should not be compared to popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp.
Khwaja announced that the app is currently undergoing trial runs within her ministry and will soon be launched among other government departments. “We have developed an application focused on secure and unified communication among government officials. The purpose of Beep Pakistan is to protect our privacy and data,” she stated in an interview with Al Jazeera.
The idea for Beep Pakistan first surfaced in August 2023 when then-Minister of IT Syed Aminul Haque described it as an alternative to WhatsApp. However, current officials stress that the app is not intended to compete with any third-party platforms. “Any comparison to WhatsApp is misplaced, as there is no intention to compete with any third-party platform,” Khwaja said.
The launch of Beep Pakistan comes at a time when the country has been experiencing significant internet disruptions. In April, the government confirmed a ban on the social media platform X since February due to “security threats.” Users have also reported issues with internet throttling and difficulties accessing multimedia content on WhatsApp. However, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar attributed these issues to a global technology outage.
Concerns over the security of WhatsApp have been longstanding within the Pakistani government, particularly after reports in December 2019 revealed that senior officials were targeted by Pegasus spyware. In response, the government advised officials against using WhatsApp for sensitive communications and began developing a local app to ensure security.
WhatsApp to get banned?
Khwaja highlighted that Beep Pakistan is designed to enhance data privacy and protection in government communications. While the app will initially be used within government departments, it has the potential to be offered to the general public in the future. She also dismissed fears of a WhatsApp ban in Pakistan as “unnecessary exaggerations.”
“The focus of Beep Pakistan is to provide secure communication to the government, and comparisons with other commercial applications are irrelevant,” she reiterated. “Beep will be an official platform for government communication. For personal communication, citizens may choose whatever platform they want, as long as it is not illegal.”
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Babar Majid Bhatti, the chief executive of the National Information Technology Board (NITB), emphasized that Beep Pakistan is not intended to rival WhatsApp. “WhatsApp is a commercial product, whereas Beep Pakistan is an official, unified secure platform. Their purposes and objectives are different,” he told Al Jazeera.
Haque, who initially oversaw the development of the app, explained the strategic rationale behind the initiative. He compared Beep to China’s WeChat and the United States’ WhatsApp, highlighting the importance of having a homegrown messaging app for Pakistan.
“This is an entirely made-in-Pakistan product. Just like how China has WeChat for their users, or how users have WhatsApp in the United States, we wanted something similar for Pakistan so that is where Beep comes in,” Haque stated. Bhatti added that the app was developed with the help of Pakistani developers from the private sector but did not disclose specific details about its safety features or development costs.
The Privacy Policy of Beep
Beep Pakistan’s privacy policy states that the app will collect various device information, including location, connection details, and IP addresses. This data will be stored on local servers managed by the National Telecom Corporation (NTC), the official telecom provider for the government. The policy assures users that their information will not be shared, rented, or sold to third parties, though it may be disclosed if required by law.
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