In 2024, Pakistan emerged as the global leader in financial losses attributed to internet and social media disruptions, as highlighted in a report by Top10VPN.com, an independent VPN reviewer. The report revealed that Pakistan incurred a staggering $1.62 billion in losses due to internet shutdowns and social media app outages, surpassing countries like Sudan and Myanmar, which are embroiled in civil wars.
The report, released on Thursday, analyzed internet shutdowns caused by deliberate actions by authorities across 28 countries. The disruptions, which included total blackouts, social media shutdowns, and throttling, lasted a total of 88,788 hours worldwide, resulting in a cumulative financial loss of $7.69 billion. According to the report, these shutdowns were responsible for infringing on citizens’ digital rights and were catastrophic for national economies.
Simon Migliano, the head of research at Top10VPN.com, expressed his concerns about the impact of such disruptions:
“This kind of deliberate outage is internet censorship in its most extreme form. Not only do they infringe on citizens’ digital rights but they are also catastrophic acts of national economic self-sabotage.”
The report showed that while the overall cost of internet shutdowns decreased by 15.8% in 2024 compared to the previous year, the duration of these disruptions increased by 12%. In 2023, there were 196 internet shutdowns across 25 countries, which lasted for 79,238 hours, costing $9.01 billion.
For Pakistan, Top10VPN.com tracked 18 instances of internet shutdowns in 2024. The reasons for these disruptions were varied, including elections, “information control,” and protests. In total, these shutdowns lasted for 9,735 hours, affecting 82.9 million users. The shutdown of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) since February 18, 2024, was by far the most costly, with an estimated financial impact of $1.34 billion.
Another significant disruption occurred in Balochistan, where authorities shut down the internet between July 16 and August 21 in response to protests by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee in Gwadar. This shutdown lasted for 864 hours and resulted in an economic loss of $11.8 million.
The report also clarified the methodology behind the estimates, using the Cost of Shutdown Tool (COST) developed by NetBlocks, an online monitor tracking internet censorship and disruption. The tool calculates the economic cost of internet shutdowns using data from the Brookings Institution and CIPESA, a digital rights group funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID). The calculation takes into account factors such as a country’s GDP, the duration of the disruptions, and the percentage of the affected population.
Globally, internet shutdowns were implemented for a range of reasons, including political unrest, conflict, protests, and to prevent cheating during exams. Asia was the most affected region, with countries like Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and India facing the most significant disruptions. Myanmar had the second-highest financial loss, amounting to $1.58 billion, due to a 20,376-hour shutdown. Sudan ranked third, with a shutdown lasting 12,707 hours and costing $1.12 billion. Venezuela followed with $1.12 billion in losses, while Bangladesh and India rounded out the top five with costs of $796.6 million and $322.9 million, respectively.
The social media app X (formerly Twitter) experienced the most significant disruptions, with outages lasting 20,322 hours. Other platforms like TikTok, Signal, Facebook, and Instagram also saw significant disruptions. TikTok had 8,115 hours of downtime, while Signal, Facebook, and Instagram experienced 2,880, 2,091, and 2,010 hours of disruption, respectively.
As internet disruptions continue to have a profound financial and social impact, the report underscores the importance of maintaining stable and reliable connectivity for both individuals and businesses. The findings also raise critical questions about the role of government authorities in controlling access to the internet and the consequences of such actions on national economies.
