ISLAMABAD —From sharing memes to sealing deals, millions of Pakistanis are struggling to communicate digitally as internet and data services have slowed down across much of the country.

Officials are blaming internet service providers for the slowdown, but media reports indicate the problem may stem from the deployment of a nationwide internet firewall aimed at controlling online content and traffic.

Crippling economy

The problem, which began several weeks ago, has worsened in recent days, frustrating freelancers like Moadood Ahmad, who is seeing a drop in income.

"If I don't show as available on Upwork or Fiverr, then new clients can't even approach me. Older clients are also disturbed," Ahmad told VOA. The Lahore-based digital marketing services provider says he has made virtually no money in the last two weeks.

According to DataReportal.com, 111 million Pakistanis in the nation of more than 240 million have access to internet. The country has nearly 189 million active cellular connections. State Bank of Pakistan put the country's IT exports at $3.2 billion in the financial year that ended in July 2024.

The spokesperson's office of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) told VOA it has only heard about issues with internet speed and web access through media. Speaking to VOA in late July, a PTA spokesperson blamed the slowdown at that time on a possible technical glitch.

During a hearing Thursday, the secretary for the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication told a Senate committee that it was gathering data about the situation from mobile operators.

But the slump in services is not limited to mobile data users. In a statement to the media Thursday, an alliance of internet service providers (ISPs) said internet speeds had plummeted by 30% to 40%, "crippling [the] digital economy."

"Many are leaving the smaller ISPs because they can't sustain the poor service quality anymore. If this continues, we will see a mass exodus of businesses from Pakistan," said the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (WISPAP).

Speaking to VOA, WISPAP Chairman Shahzad Arshad said his alliance members were inundated with customer complaints.

"The authorities should at least tell us a timeframe that we can give to the customer," Arshad said.

Without mentioning the firewall, WISPAP's statement blamed increased "security and surveillance" for the decline in service quality.

"While the government remains steadfast in its commitment to enhancing security, the question remains: at what cost to the nation's digital economy?" the statement asked.

Controlling access

A source familiar with the nationwide firewall told VOA the system - acquired from China and installed through the Ministry of Defense - is based at a cable landing station in Pakistan, the place where the undersea internet data cable meets a country's internet system.

The firewall, also placed on the systems used by data providers, can give Pakistani authorities information about an individual user's online activities and where they are operating from, allowing for targeted monitoring, the source said.

Efforts to deploy the firewall on servers that major international companies use to store content close to end users are also underway. This can give authorities deeper access to an individual's data and control of their online activities.

Digital rights activists reject the government's claim that the firewall is only a cybersecurity tool.

"To me, this is about political control. This desperation to do whatever they can," said Farieha Aziz, co-founder of the digital rights group Bolo Bhi, an Urdu name that means "speak up."

Government officials "are still not transparent and open about the capability [of the firewall], what kind of monitoring is happening," said Aziz. "What are they attempting?"

The country's latest efforts to control internet traffic and user activity come as the powerful military frequently complains of rising "digital terrorism," a term it uses for those who criticize or mock the armed forces on social media.

Digital rights activist Aziz also criticized telecom companies and internet service providers for not being transparent with users about the reasons for service disruptions.

Digital freedom is limited in Pakistan. Global rights watchdog Freedom House describes Pakistan as "not free," with a low score of only 26 out of 100 on its internet freedom index.

Pakistanis trying to bypass poor connectivity and speed by using VPNs are not faring much better either.

"Even those who use VPNs, and use our internet services, are unable to connect," WISPAP's Shahzad confirmed to VOA.

A PTA official told the Standing Committee on Cabinet Sec­retariat, earlier this month that the regulator was working on a plan to approve certain virtual private networks. All other VPNs would be blocked.

Senator Palwasha Khan, chairperson of the Senate's standing committee on IT, told VOA she expected internet speed to normalize in Pakistan within days. She said the committee was not informed if the problem was because of the firewall, but said she supported the censorship tool.

"I do agree that if some security measures are taken to control the chaos on social media, I don't have any problem with that," said Khan, a senator from the Pakistan People's Party, which is part of the ruling alliance.

Struggling to share voice notes and visual content with clients via a popular messaging app, freelancer Moadood Ahmad told VOA he regretted moving back to Pakistan from the United Arab Emirates.

"I am thinking I made a mistake," Ahmad said. "I should go back."

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