ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been ranked third in the world, after Iran and India, for imposing internet restrictions in the first half of 2023, according to a report issued by Surfshark, a virtual private network company headquartered in Lithuania. The report is based on a half-year analysis of internet shutdowns monitored by the Internet Shutdown Tracker.
During the period, Pakistan imposed restrictions thrice, with one of the instances occurring after the arrest of a former prime minister on May 9. Access to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube was restricted in the country, and temporary cellular network disruptions were also observed across the country for several days.
The Surfshark report highlights Asia as the region with the most internet disruptions during the same period. Iran leads the list with 14 incidents of internet shutdowns, all of which occurred in Zahedan during Friday protests over the massacre.
India Ranks Second in Countries with Internet Restrictions
India is ranked second on the list with at least nine cases, most of which occurred during protests. The report also mentions two separate internet shutdowns in ‘Jammu and Kashmir’, allegedly ordered by the Indian government, bringing India’s count to 11 instances of internet shutdowns.
Protests were cited as the main cause of government-imposed internet restrictions, with more than two-thirds of the new disruptions triggered by public outrage over social and political issues. The report emphasizes that the internet has become the primary battleground for important information during periods of civil unrest.
Surfshark’s Internet Censorship Tracker analyzes reports from news media and digital rights organizations such as Netblocks and Access Now, and collects data from social media companies to document internet shutdown cases.
Facebook Faces Most Restrictions
The report indicates that Facebook faced the most restrictions, with the app being restricted in Ethiopia, Guinea, Senegal, Pakistan, and Suriname, all countries with a history of government-imposed internet restrictions. Telegram, Instagram, and YouTube followed as the second most-blocked social platforms, each facing restrictions in four countries, while WhatsApp and Twitter shared the third spot, each facing restrictions in three countries.
While TikTok was restricted by just one country in the first half of 2023, Ethiopia, the report predicts that the United States is on its way to becoming the eighth country to ban the platform.
Overall, Asia accounted for 71% of new global cases of internet disruptions, and an estimated 2.35 billion people experienced internet censorship throughout the year, according to Surfshark’s findings.
The report notes a 31% decline in new internet disruption cases globally in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. However, the number of countries imposing these restrictions increased from 13 to 14. The decrease in global restrictions was primarily due to a drop in cases from Jammu and Kashmir, falling from 35 in the first half of 2022 to just two in the same period in 2023.
