Amnesty International has called on Pakistani authorities to be more transparent about the nationwide internet slowdowns and their use of surveillance and monitoring technologies.
Over the past few weeks, we have seen significant slowdowns in internet speeds, with users facing difficulties sending or downloading media and voice notes via WhatsApp when connected to mobile data, as well as experiencing slow browsing speeds even on broadband connections.
“Amnesty International calls on the Pakistani authorities to be transparent about the origins of these internet disruptions and to refrain from implementing surveillance and monitoring systems that are unnecessary, disproportionate and in violation of international human rights law,” the rights group said in a statement on Monday.
“The lack of transparency from Pakistani authorities regarding their use of surveillance technologies to block content, slow down and control internet speeds is a disturbing concern,” the report said.
“The use of such technologies, including national firewalls, has repeatedly proven to be incompatible with human rights.”
The statement noted that these pervasive tools are undermining freedom of expression and access to information online, and that the internet is essential for people’s right to information, self-expression, e-commerce and the digital economy.
Internet disruptions have also caused anxiety among the Pakistani community abroad as they are unable to contact and communicate with their loved ones, it added.
Holding people accountable for slow internet speeds
Last week, after drawing criticism from both parliamentarians and the public, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) blamed “undersea cable faults” for slow internet speeds across the country and clarified that no firewalls were in place.
“The slowdown in internet speed in the country is due to a fault in an undersea cable, which is expected to be repaired by August 28,” PTA chairman Lt. Gen. Hafeezur Rehman said at a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on IT.
He also clarified that it is not the firewall that will be upgraded, but the government’s web management system.
“In my opinion, the Internet shouldn’t be slowed down by upgrades,” he said. [sector] suffered a loss [Rs] “Three hundred million.”
The Islamabad High Court had sought response from the government and the PTA by August 26 (today) on a petition by senior journalist Hamid Mir against the slowdown in internet speed across the country.
Businesses and internet service providers (ISPs) had argued that government efforts to monitor internet traffic, including so-called “firewalls,” had caused slowdowns in digital services and resulted in economic losses.
The country’s Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja confirmed that the government was upgrading its “web management system” to address cybersecurity threats, but categorically denied reports that the government was “throttling” the internet.
Amnesty International has previously condemned the government’s internet and mobile phone shutdown during the February 8 general election, calling it a “blatant attack on freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly.”
