Friday 13 / September / 2024
Islamabad: For weeks now millions of Pakistanis have been experiencing problems accessing messaging and social media applications. Major online platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp have been hit hard, with users reporting slowdowns and difficulties in being able to send or receive even basic text messages. If they used a VPN or connected to broadband, this was not the case.
Since media transfers and downloads worked via broadband and VPNs, this proves there was no technical glitch at the app level either.
The recent WhatsApp disruption was the first insight into the level of network filtering possibly being done in Pakistan.
Disrupting the flow of information whether through throttling or reducing internet speeds fits a pattern. Prior to this the Pakistani establishment had come down on X (formerly Twitter) citing national security concerns. Downdetector, a website that provides real-time information about internet outages, received an unusually high number of complaints about disruptions in WhatsApp, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
Pakistan is in a position to commission a nationwide firewall to regulate the internet traffic in the country and reports indicate that the outrages of messaging platforms are part of Islamabad’s larger plan to throttle free speech on social media.
The firewall aims to control access to major social media platforms and monitor online activities. The frequent broad internet outages since December 2023, appear to be part of the trial run of firewall resulting in slowing down of social media and internet, with the users complaining that even data and voice files were not getting transferred in WhatsApp.
Indications are that the process of acquisition and installation of the firewall is being monitored by the Pak military, wth the explicit aim of curbing the outreach of social media influencers, by blocking their content or making it less visible. The mechanism that Pakistan is likely to use to build its firewall could be in line with the Chinese firewall. The mechanism consists of, Domain and IP Blocking, Keyword Filtering, Packet Inspection, TCP Reset Attacks, Encryption Interception, VPN and Proxy Detection.
With an allocation of PKR 30, the Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) has invited tenders for ‘supply, installation and configuration of Next Generation Firewalls (Ex-Chinese brand), Web Application Firewall (WAF) for five years with hardware warranty and support.
Almost confirming this news is the absence of any disclosure by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority or the government, and silence by telcos and internet service providers, information regarding what is being, or has been, tested, procured, deployed or its technical capability remains shrouded in secrecy and speculation.
Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar even remarked that the installation of a firewall had to do with cyber and data security, and not with freedom of speech, attributing the glitch to the CrowdStrike disruption. However Meta in a comment to Geo Fact Check claimed everything was working fine on Meta’s end and whatever happened, was “the country’s internal internet issue” and a “local fault”.
However on August 16, in the face of public outcry and media queries, the country’s Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja, accepted although in rather ambiguous terminology that the government was indeed upgrading its ‘web management system’ to cope with cyber security threats. “The government has been operating a web-management system. The system is now being upgraded.” She asserted, “It is the right of the government to take measures to protect its interests given the cyber security attacks that Pakistan is facing.” According to the PTA, deployment of a web management system (WMS) has been underway since December 2023.
Suffice to say there is no transparency from the government or the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) about the scale and scope of the country’s internet infrastructure plans. Instead of addressing the root cause behind widespread outcry and economic concerns, government obfuscation on “firewall” rumours continues — the latest excuse for persisting crawling speeds being too much VPN use or “faulty submarine cables”.
The internet disruption comes amid widespread discontent in Pakistan over the country’s economic situation. Inflation is running high and the government has sharply increased taxes and electricity fees, which it says is necessary to meet the terms of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) package. Panic within the business community is growing as the government’s measures showed no sign of abating. As the country navigated through these challenging times, the future of Pakistan’s digital landscape hangs in the balance, with businesses and consumers alike bearing the brunt of the slowdown, he regretted.
On August 15, the business community and internet service providers alleged that the government’s heightened efforts to monitor internet traffic — including a so-called ‘firewall’ — had resulted in a significant nationwide slowdown of services, leading to losses to the economy.
In a press release on August 15, the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) has said the economy could lose up to $300 million due to internet disruptions. Ali Ihsan, senior vice chairman of P@SHA, said the imposition of the firewall has already caused prolonged internet disconnections and erratic performance of virtual private networks, threatening a “complete meltdown of business operations”. “These disruptions are not mere inconveniences; but, a direct, tangible and aggressive assault on the industry’s viability inflicting an estimated and devastating financial losses estimated to reach $300m, which can further increase exponentially.”
A statement issued by the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (WISPAP) said the government’s decision to enhance security and surveillance has had an unintended consequence, severely crippling the country’s digital economy.
“Over the past few weeks, internet speeds have plummeted by 30 to 40 per cent, creating a chaotic situation for businesses and individuals who rely heavily on fast, reliable connectivity.” The association said the impact had been particularly devastating for call centres, e-commerce professionals, the online working class, and those who manage electronic-related businesses.
“It’s a very discouraging situation for our customers,” said WISPAP Chairman Shahzad Arshad. “Many are leaving the smaller ISPs because they cannot sustain the poor service quality anymore. If this continues, we will see a mass exodus of businesses from Pakistan.”
Across the world, repressive regimes have acquired internet-blocking capabilities and employ a multi-layered approach that include firewalls doing Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), DNS filtering, URL filtering and IP filtering, among other techniques. Content filtering in China is known to be one of the most stringent in the world.
It is not known what Pakistan is implementing but most likely a combination of all these.
According to French researcher Nowmay Opalinski, who has published a study titled ‘The Quest for a Resilient Internet Access in a Constrained Geopolitical Environment’, the shape of the internet in Pakistan is helping authorities to have some control over it. “Since the structure of Pakistan’s network is concentrated, it is easier to apply firewall tools as you don’t need to apply tech to a large number of routes.
The report makes a critical observation that forms the gist of the connectivity problems that the country is facing; “Pakistan’s physical Internet landscape is closely scrutinised by state institutions and therefore shaped by their threat perceptions. As a result, cross-border terrestrial connectivity is strictly driven by security agendas. In other words, in Pakistan, technical wisdom is often overshadowed by political and security outlooks at the expense of network resilience. All in all, ISPs find themselves in a tough spot where the security outlook of the state compounded with business regulations (and the associated financial limitations) constrain their options.”
Without credible information, speculation will increase and distrust will grow. Citizens have a right to know what additional curbs are being placed on their freedom of expression and privacy.
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