The report sheds light on Pakistan’s accountability for three out of 42 new internet restrictions globally, initiated following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on May 9.
During this period, Pakistan implemented restrictions on popular social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, while temporary disruptions in cellular networks were witnessed across the country for several days.
Surfshark’s report ranks Pakistan behind Iran and India as the leading countries with the highest number of internet restrictions during H1 2023, with a significant number of internet shutdowns concentrated in the Asian region.
Iran secured the top spot with 14 internet disruptions primarily linked to Friday protests over the Zahedan massacre. India closely followed with nine cases, largely associated with protest events. Interestingly, the report also mentions two separate internet shutdowns in ‘Jammu and Kashmir,’ adding to India’s count and bringing it to 11 instances of internet restrictions within a six-month period.
The report attributes protests as the primary cause of government-imposed internet restrictions, with over two-thirds of the new disruptions linked to public outrage over social and political issues. It highlights the internet’s pivotal role as the primary battleground for information dissemination during civil unrest.
Surfshark’s Internet Censorship Tracker compiles data from news media, digital rights organizations like Netblocks and Access Now, and social media companies to document internet restriction cases.
Regarding the restriction of apps in 2023, Facebook encountered significant restrictions in Ethiopia, Guinea, Senegal, Pakistan, and Suriname – countries with a history of government-imposed internet controls. Telegram, Instagram, and YouTube followed closely as the next most-blocked social platforms, facing restrictions in four countries each, with WhatsApp and Twitter facing restrictions in three countries.
H1 2023 saw Ethiopia impose restrictions on TikTok, while the report highlights the United States’ ongoing efforts to become the eighth country to ban the platform.
Despite a 31% decline in new global internet disruption cases compared to H1 2022, the number of countries implementing restrictions increased from 13 to 14. Asia accounted for 71% of new global internet disruption cases, impacting an estimated 2.35 billion people throughout the year. The decline in global restrictions is primarily attributed to the reduction in cases from Jammu and Kashmir, which declined from 35 in H1 2022 to merely 2 in H1 2023, as per the Surfshark report.
