Amnesty International has urged Pakistani authorities to be more open about the use of monitoring and surveillance technologies and the countrywide internet outage. Over the past several weeks, there has been a noticeable decrease in internet speeds. As a result, users are encountering challenges while attempting to transmit or download media and audio notes via WhatsApp while using mobile data, and they are even experiencing slow browsing rates when using broadband.
As per a statement released on Monday, Amnesty International urged the Pakistani authorities to be open about the reason behind the internet disruptions and to make sure that they don’t implement any disproportionate, needless, or illegal monitoring or surveillance systems that go against international human rights law.
It stated, “It is alarmingly concerning that Pakistani authorities are so opaque when it comes to their use of monitoring and surveillance technologies that impede, filter, and limit internet speeds.” Human rights have been repeatedly violated by the usage of such technology, especially national firewalls. The declaration made clear how these ubiquitous tools impair people’s ability to express themselves freely and obtain information online. It also mentioned how important the Internet is to the digital economy, e-commerce, citizen self-expression, and the public’s right to information.
It further stated that Pakistani communities abroad experience worry due to internet outages since they are unable to stay in touch with and speak with their loved ones.
Accuse the game of the slow internet.
After facing backlash from politicians and the general public last week, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) emphasized that no firewalls were being put and ascribed the country’s poor internet to a “faulty submarine cable.” PTA Chairman Retired Major General Hafeezur Rehman stated during a hearing of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on IT, “The country’s internet slowdown is due to a faulty submarine cable, which is expected to be repaired by August 28.”
He further explained that the system being upgraded was the government’s web management system, not a firewall. “I don’t think an upgrade should cause the internet to slow down,” he stated. “There has been a [Rs] 300 million loss in the telecom sector.” The Islamabad High Court has set a deadline of August 26 (today) for the PTA and the government to respond to senior journalist Hamid Mir’s case against the countrywide internet shutdown.
Internet service providers (ISPs) and the business sector had claimed that the government’s attempts to control internet traffic, including the installation of a so-called “firewall,” had slowed down digital services and resulted in financial losses. The nation’s minister of information technology, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, vehemently refuted reports that the government was “throttling” the internet, even though she had admitted that the government was updating its “web management system” to address cyber security risks.
Amnesty International has already denounced the government, calling the February 8 general election internet and mobile suspension “a blunt attack on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”
