A History of Digital Surveillance & Censorship in Pakistan

In the years following September 11, 2001, the global geopolitical landscape has undergone drastic changes, coupled with economic uncertainty. It has become de rigueur for governments to crack down on forms of freedom of expression, and to give more powers to their intelligence agencies, to tackle ‘extremism’ and terrorism. The work of whistleblowers such as Edward Snowden, and activist organisations such as Wikileaks, have brought to the public’s attention the extent to which citizens have had their privacy violated, in the name of security. Pakistan, which came of age during the Cold War, is no different, having long been familiar with surveillance and censorship without proper oversight. Since 2001, the government of Pakistan has sought to limit the freedom of expression enjoyed by its citizens, censoring and blocking websites when possible. It has pushed for broader powers for its intelligence and security agencies, as part of its National Action Plan.

British-based experience designer and privacy advocate Salman Chaudhri has been working with Digital Rights Foundation on the timeline below, covering Pakistan’s recent history of digital surveillance and censorship up to 2015. We hope that it will provide Pakistanis with an understanding of how, rather than working for its people, the government of Pakistan has been working to undermine the rights of its citizens.

If you wish to use the timeline, please credit Salman Chaudhri and Digital Rights Foundation.

A History Of Digital Surveillance & Privacy in Pakistan