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However, the request for a ban will reportedly be withdrawn later this month.
The government had wanted to use clauses in the act to justify the ban.
Image: Downdetector graph showing the spike in WhatsApp outage reports in Pakistan on December 1 2024.
What has gone on in Pakistan?
We have seen somewhat of a merry-go-round of information coming out of Pakistan in recent weeks.
The country experienced aVPN shutdownon 9-10 November, with many users experiencing difficulties connecting to certain VPNs.
Image: Downdetector graph showing the spike in WhatsApp outage reports in Pakistan on December 1 2024.
That weekend, theProton VPN Observatoryreported a 350% increase in VPN sign-ups in Pakistan.
Personal-use VPNs were not included, with only commercial-use VPNs allowed to be registered.
At the time of writing, Sharif’s last tweet was on December 2.
Image: Proton VPN Observatory graph showing the spike in VPN sign-ups in Pakistan throughout November 2024.
Our heartiest felicitations to the leadership and people of the United Arab Emirates on their 53rd National Day.
The block appeared to be temporary but it’s unconfirmed whether access to Bluesky has returned.
Messaging appWhatsApp was the next to be hit, with connection difficulties reported between November 23-25.
What’s next?
A firewall would allow specific features within an app or website to be blocked or throttled.
There is a risk VPNs could be affected, and even blocked.
Are there alternatives to VPNs?
TheTor Browsercan be considered the main alternative.
It is free, and offers greater anonymity than VPNs thanks to its multi-layered Onion connection.
So caution should be exercised when exploring bypassing options.
The threats to individual’s privacy rights and internet freedoms remain high, and will continue to be monitored.
