ISLAMABAD
\nPakistan has been ranked third in the world, after Iran and India, respectively, for internet restrictions in the first half of 2023.
\nThis is revealed in a report issued by Surfshark, a virtual private network company headquartered in Lithuania, based on a half-year analysis of internet shutdown monitored by the Internet Shutdown Tracker.
\nThe report said that Pakistan imposed restrictions thrice following the arrest of former prime minister on May 9.
\nAt the time, access to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube was restricted in the country, while several temporary cellular network disruptions were also observed across the country for several days.
\nThe focal point of the Surfshark report is Asia where most internet shutdowns were reported during the period.
\nIran is leading the list of the most internet disruptions, with 14, all of which occurred in Zahedan during Friday protests over the Zahedan massacre.
\nIndia is ranked two in the list with at least nine cases, the majority of whom occurred during protests.
\nInterestingly, the report mentions two separate internet shutdowns in \u2018Jammu and Kashmir\u2019, which were ostensibly also ordered by the Indian government. If these are added to the tally, India\u2019s count rises to 11 instances of internet shutdowns.
\nAccording to the report, protests were the main cause of government-imposed internet restrictions.
\nMore than two-thirds of the new disruptions, the count of which is 30, were triggered by public outrage over social and political issues. This survey also highlights that the internet is the primary battleground for important information during periods of civil unrest.
\nSurfshark\u2019s Internet Censorship Tracker analyses reports from the news media and digital rights organisations such as Netblocks and Access Now and collects data from social media companies to document cases.
\nFacebook faced the most restrictions, with the app restricted in Ethiopia, Guinea, Senegal, Pakistan, and Suriname. All of these countries have had a history of government-imposed internet restrictions.
\nTelegram, Instagram, and YouTube shared the second spot on the list of most-blocked social platforms, each facing restrictions in four countries. WhatsApp and Twitter were close and shared the third spot on the list, each facing restrictions in three countries.
\nWhile TikTok was restricted by just one country in the first half of the year, Ethiopia. However, the United States is on its way to becoming the eighth country to ban this platform, the report stated.
\nAccording to the report, the first half of 2023 saw a 31 percent decline in new internet disruption cases as compared to the same period in 2022. But the number of countries imposing these restrictions went up from 13 to 14.
\nOverall, Asia led the world for internet disruptions, accounting for 71pc of new global cases. An estimated 2.35 billion people experienced internet censorship throughout the year, Surfshark found.
\nThe report also states that the decrease in global restrictions primarily comes from the drop in cases from Jammu and Kashmir, which fell from 35 in the first half of 2022 to just 2 in the same period in 2023.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Pakistan has been ranked third in the world, after Iran and India, respectively, for internet restrictions in the first half of 2023. This is revealed in a report issued by Surfshark, a virtual private network company headquartered in Lithuania, based on a half-year analysis of internet shutdown monitored by the Internet Shutdown Tracker. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-345383","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n