Islamabad (HRNW) – Pakistan has been ranked third in the world, after Iran and India, for internet restrictions in the first half of 2023.
This is revealed in a report issued by Surfshark, a virtual private network company headquartered in Lithuania, based on a half-year analysis of internet shutdown monitored by the Internet Shutdown Tracker.
The report said Pakistan imposed restrictions thrice following the arrest of former prime minister on May 9.
At the time, access to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube was restricted in the country, while several temporary cellular network disruptions were also observed across the country for several days.
The focal point of the Surfshark report is Asia where most internet shutdowns were reported during the period.
Iran is leading the list of the most internet disruptions, with 14, all of which occurred in Zahedan during Friday protests over the massacre.
INDIA
India is ranked two in the list with at least nine cases, the majority of whom occurred during protests.
Interestingly, the report mentions two separate internet shutdowns in ‘Jammu and Kashmir’, which were ostensibly also ordered by the Indian government. If these are added to the tally, India’s count rises to 11 instances of internet shutdowns.
According to the report, protests were the main cause of government-imposed internet restrictions.
More than two-thirds of the new disruptions, the count of which is 30, were triggered by public outrage over social and political issues. This survey also highlights that the internet is the primary battleground for important information during periods of civil unrest.
Surfshark’s Internet Censorship Tracker analyses reports from the news media and digital rights organisations such as Netblocks and Access Now and collects data from social media companies to document cases.
Facebook faced the most restrictions, with the app restricted in Ethiopia, Guinea, Senegal, Pakistan and Suriname. All of these countries have had a history of government-imposed internet restrictions.
Telegram, Instagram and YouTube shared the second spot on the list of most-blocked social platforms, each facing restrictions in four countries. WhatsApp and Twitter were close and shared the third spot on the list, each facing restrictions in three countries.
While TikTok was restricted by just one country in the first half of the year, Ethiopia. However, the United States is on its way to becoming the eighth country to ban this platform, the report stated.
According to the report, the first half of 2023 saw a 31 per cent decline in new internet disruption cases as compared to the same period in 2022. But the number of countries imposing these restrictions went up from 13 to 14.
Overall, Asia led the world for internet disruptions, accounting for 71pc of new global cases. An estimated 2.35 billion people experienced internet censorship throughout the year, Surfshark found.
The report also states that the decrease in global restrictions primarily comes from the drop in cases from Jammu and Kashmir, which fell from 35 in the first half of 2022 to just two in the same period in 2023.