ISLAMABAD: Pakistan ranked third in the world to impose the internet restrictions in the first half of 2023.
Surfshark, a Lithuania-based virtual private network company, reported that Pakistan implemented three out of 42 new internet restrictions globally after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on May 9. During that time, the country limited access to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, while also witnessing temporary disruptions in cellular networks for several days.
According to the Surfshark report, Pakistan ranked below Iran and India among countries with the highest number of internet restrictions during the first half of 2023. The report highlighted Asia as the primary region for most internet shutdowns.
The report says Iran and India took the lead in internet shutdowns during the first half of 2023. Iran experienced the highest number of disruptions, with a total of 14 cases, all linked to the Zahedan massacre during protests in Zahedan.
Internet shutdowns
In the first half of 2023, Iran had 14 internet shutdown cases, while India had at least nine, with an additional two in ‘Jammu and Kashmir’, making it 11 in total. Protests were the main cause of government-imposed internet restrictions, accounting for over two-thirds of the 30 new disruptions during that period. Surfshark’s Internet Censorship Tracker collects data from various sources to document and analyze these cases.
Overview of restricted apps in 2023
In the first half of 2023, Facebook faced heavy restrictions in Ethiopia, Guinea, Senegal, Pakistan, and Suriname, while Telegram, Instagram, and YouTube were also blocked in multiple countries. WhatsApp and Twitter experienced restrictions in three countries. Ethiopia restricted TikTok, and the United States was considering banning the platform.
Internet Disruptions: Global Trends
In the first half of 2023, new internet disruption cases declined by 31% compared to 2022. However, the number of countries imposing restrictions increased from 13 to 14. Asia led globally with 71% of new cases, affecting approximately 2.35 billion people. The decrease in restrictions was primarily due to a significant drop in cases from Jammu and Kashmir, falling from 35 to 2 incidents.
