- Pakistan authorities have blocked free VPN services, requiring Internet users to register to use select paid services.
- This follows news of an Internet firewall being successfully installed in the country in September, as well as a statement by the government that it would not block VPNs.
- Some Pakistan Internet users need to spend up to 7% of their monthly average income on VPN services to access the Internet.
The past week has been among the most challenging in an unprecedented year for the open Internet in Pakistan, with multiple reports of deliberate localized Internet disruptions and restricted access to virtual private networks (VPNs).
As of March 2024, VPN demand had reportedly increased by 6,000% in Pakistan in the last year following several reported and confirmed regional and national service-blocking events. Many of these service-blocking cases reportedly targeted access to X (formerly known as Twitter), especially in the lead-up to and following the national elections on 8 February, a day the country experienced a 13-hour national Internet shutdown.
In April 2024, the government issued its first official version of the X ban in a written submission to the Islamabad High Court, citing national security as its reason. The court was further informed that no official notification was provided. Since then, using VPNs, predominantly free ones, to access X has become the norm for Pakistan’s 4.5 million X users and visitors.
But, as we’ve come to realize, these events were only the beginning of the government’s more extensive plans to regulate the Internet.
Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire(walls)
In June, local media reported that the government was considering installing an Internet firewall to monitor and regulate content and social media platforms. The firewall reportedly has deep packet inspection technology, allowing data monitoring up to the seventh layer.
The Government of Pakistan is installing a National Firewall to identify and manage sources of propaganda content.
— Voice of Balochistan (@VofBalochistan) June 27, 2024
Get to know more about it in our exclusive infographic poster. #Balochistan #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/9lN5CVB3ZB
Between June and August, I visited Pakistan twice and experienced poor Internet speed and uneven social media and messaging performance, particularly when sending an audio message or a photo over WhatsApp. Instagram was non-functional, and YouTube videos took longer than usual to load. These intermittent disruptions resulted in freelancers losing their jobs and businesses complaining about financial losses of up to 300 million USD.
In the last week of August, an official statement explained that an undersea cable fault had caused intermittent Internet outages. However, a report from BytesforAll (a local civil society organization) claimed that neither an undersea cable fault nor VPN usage was the reason behind these disruptions. Rather, it was the Internet firewall installation, a theory shared by the National Association of Software Houses (P@SHA).
P@SHA sounds the alarm! 🚨 The hastily implemented firewall is a major setback for Pakistan's tech sector. Businesses are struggling to survive amidst crippling internet outages and VPN woes.
— P@SHA (@PASHAORG) August 16, 2024
Read P@SHA's official statement on the National Firewall: https://t.co/aoHrhE6CNm pic.twitter.com/JOwEhzJpYj
During this time, local YouTube content producers helped local Internet users by posting how-to videos on how to send an audio file or a photo through WhatsApp or how to install a free VPN. This community advocacy was on show this month, too, with local X users posting which VPN services are still working.
VPN is also banned in Pakistan.
— Iqra Naseer (@iqraqazi7) November 10, 2024
2 VPNs are still working
Thunder VPN
Proton VPN
M using thunder right now!
Share to help others! pic.twitter.com/AQ5J13UAAN
On 8 September, Tribune magazine reported that the Internet firewall was “successfully” installed, with sources noting it is a “geo-fencing firewall that will be able to track content in real time.”
Sources also told Al Jazeera that “trials of this new firewall, installed as part of Pakistan’s internet infrastructure, were responsible for a spate of complaints of poor internet connectivity in the country in recent months and allowed “specific features within an app or website to be blocked or throttled.” Officially, though, government officials, while acknowledging that they are tightening the country’s online monitoring structure, have denied that this is to blame for slowdowns in Internet speed.”
On 10 September, an official responded to Interner users’ concerns in a Dawn article, clarifying that VPNs would not be blocked. That was until 10 November, when multiple reports of restricted VPN access and poor Internet connectivity started to surface.
What Will the Future Hold?
On 12 November, the national telecommunication regulator released a statement mentioning a consultation session on its VPN registration framework. Representatives from the Ministry of IT & Telecommunication (MoIT&T), the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), and the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) attended the meeting.
This consultation resulted in the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Pakistan (PTA) introducing a new registration portal for VPNs, which has four user categories: General companies, Freelancers, Call centers, and Video conferencing services. Despite several efforts, I could not access the announced portal from where I live in Dubai.
Currently, no free VPN can access social media platforms in Pakistan. This is significant in a country where the average wage is USD 145, considering it can cost subscribers USD 5-10 a month.
Proton VPN, one of the two remaining working VPNs, confirmed a usage spike of over 350% above regular traffic following the 10 November event and 730% above normal levels since 24 November.
I will travel to Pakistan next month to learn more by registering my VPN service with PTA. However, this year’s events have left many Internet users in Pakistan questioning the future of the open and globally connected Internet within its national borders.
Stay updated on Internet Shutdowns and service blocking events via the Pulse Shutdown Tracker.