ISLAMABAD: Government employees have been barred from uploading classified documents, official emails, software source code and citizens’ personal information to public artificial intelligence tools.
The restriction is part of Pakistan’s National Cybersecurity Handbook 2026-27, issued by the National Cyber Emergency Response Team (PKCERT).
The handbook provides cybersecurity guidelines for government and public sector employees. It is based on the Pakistan Information Security Framework (PISF) 2026.
Restrictions on public AI platforms
PKCERT warned that entering sensitive information into public AI platforms could expose government data to security risks.
According to the handbook, such information could be leaked, retained without authorization or exposed to external AI training systems.
Government officials have therefore been instructed to use only AI tools and platforms approved by their respective departments.
Employees must also remove names and other sensitive details from prompts and uploaded files before using AI systems.
Officials have been directed to immediately report any accidental disclosure of confidential information to their departmental IT or cybersecurity teams.
Passwords and API keys also prohibited
The guidelines also prohibit employees from entering passwords, administrative credentials and application programming interface (API) keys into AI tools.
Government personnel are further barred from installing unauthorized AI extensions or plugins on official devices.
PKCERT has also instructed officials to review AI-generated content for accuracy and security before using it for government work.
The handbook does not prohibit the use of AI in government departments altogether.
Instead, it allows officials to use AI tools for content generation, analysis and routine tasks, provided their use follows security and privacy requirements.
The guidelines also require human oversight when AI-generated material is used in official work.
