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February 7, 2025 - Comments Off on Internet Disruptions and Shutdowns In January

Internet Disruptions and Shutdowns In January

Between January 11 and February 7, 2025, Pakistan continued to experience internet disruptions and censorship, as well as policy developments that severely impacted digital rights. Major cities like Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore saw heightened restrictions, with social media throttling and content censorship, particularly during political protests and demonstrations. Journalists and digital rights activists faced increasing pressure as the government introduced stricter regulations on online content.

The passage of a controversial law criminalizing “misleading” online content sparked nationwide protests, led by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ). Meanwhile, ongoing internet slowdowns forced several multinational companies to reconsider operations in Pakistan, raising concerns about economic impacts.

January 10, 2025 - Comments Off on Internet Disruptions and Shutdowns In January

Internet Disruptions and Shutdowns In January

Between January 1-10, 2025, Pakistan faced significant internet disruptions across 15 regions, severely impacting connectivity and digital access. Karachi, Islamabad, and Kashmir experienced heavy censorship, including social media bans and throttled internet and data networks. Protests, political events, and security operations drove many shutdowns, with localized disruptions in Gwadar and Swat.

A major submarine cable fault on January 2 caused nationwide slowdowns, crippling e-commerce and affecting critical infrastructure. Despite mitigation efforts, such as additional bandwidth, the incident exposed vulnerabilities within Pakistan's digital infrastructure, emphasizing the urgent need for improved internet stability and protection of digital rights.

January 9, 2025 - Comments Off on WhatsApp, Others Shifting Operations Outside Pakistan

WhatsApp, Others Shifting Operations Outside Pakistan

Constant internet shutdowns and disruptions have led to WhatsApp and other companies to relocate various aspects of their technical operations outside of Pakistan, according to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) documentation. WhatsApp, widely used across the world and Pakistan, has had to relocate its Content Delivery Network servers, necessary for enhancing and stabilising traffic performance, outside of the country – a shift that has in turn impacted WhatsApp users in Pakistan and their ability to send and receive messages. This has led to delays for WhatsApp users, and highlights the rising costs – financial and otherwise – of Pakistan’s constant internet shutdowns and overall disruptions.

The shift by WhatsApp, owned by Meta (which also owns Instagram and Facebook) to relocate outside of Pakistan indicates a growing concern by digital service providers as to the unreliably of the country’s infrastructure, even as the nation’s government promotes and aims to ensure investors of more stability.

December 24, 2024 - Comments Off on Bilawal advocate “bill of rights” for digital age

Bilawal advocate “bill of rights” for digital age

It is time to draft a “digital bill of rights”, said PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, in an attempt to create further space between him and the government regarding the latter’s controversial direction regarding VPNs and internet disruptions in recent months.

Though he agreed that security measures should be taken to tackle disinformation and misinformation, Bhutto-Zardari said that “babus and politicians sitting in Islamabad do not understand” the internet, and that the government was seeking to control people “in the shape [of controlling] bandwidth, optical fibre and wireless internet.”

Calling upon young people to contribute to and develop a draft “bill of rights”,  Bhutto-Zardari said that he would table the draft in the National Assembly once the draft had been prepared through a consultative process.

“I will believe access to the internet should be declared a fundamental right, like [the right to a clean] environment was declared a fundamental right in the 26th amendment. Affordable, equitable access to high speed internet should be a fundamental right,” said  Bhutto-Zardari.

December 16, 2024 - Comments Off on No plans to block VPNs despite technical capacity, PTA Chairman

No plans to block VPNs despite technical capacity, PTA Chairman

The government has the technical capability to block VPNs but will not do so, the chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) claimed at an event. The PTA had earlier declared November 30 to be the deadline for VPN registrations, with non-registered VPN connections to be blocked from 01 December. This was overturned and the ban rescinded, after an initial statement that the deadline would be extended, after the Ministry of Law could not give legal cover to the ban. Though the PTA has not provided an official statement as to why the ban was rescinded, media outlets have quoted anonymous sources within the government who pointed towards the legal ambiguities in this regard.

The proposed amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) might help the government in tackling the government’s legal trouble with blocking VPNs in the future.