Pakistan’s Digital Surveillance Firewall Exposed

A recent investigation by Amnesty International (Shadows of Control: Censorship and Mass Surveillance in Pakistan) has uncovered a startling truth: in Pakistan, ordinary citizens’ calls, texts, and internet activity are being systematically tracked by their own government. This is not the work of cybercriminals or hackers – it is an official surveillance system, financed by taxpayers and powered by foreign technology.

The report explains that Pakistan has quietly built a two-layer monitoring network that resembles China’s Great Firewall, a system notorious for silencing dissent and controlling public opinion. The result is a digital environment where citizens are watched, filtered, and sometimes punished for what they say or share online.

The Tools of Control

Two key systems are at the heart of this surveillance machine:

• Lawful Intercept Management System (LIMS): This program allows authorities to listen to phone calls, access messages, and even track the location of millions of mobile phone users. According to the report, at least four million mobile connections are currently under its reach.
• Web Monitoring System 2.0 (WMS): This is essentially Pakistan’s own internet firewall. It can block or slow down websites, censor social media content, and record browsing activities. It has the ability to disrupt over two million internet sessions simultaneously.

What makes this more alarming is that these systems are not developed entirely in Pakistan. China, Germany, France, the UAE, the US, and Canada have all supplied parts and technology, knowingly or unknowingly, enabling the government to build such a powerful surveillance network.

What Does This Mean for Ordinary People?

The effects of such monitoring go beyond technical control – they shape how people think, speak, and live:

• If a citizen posts even a single critical line about the army online, their internet speed can be deliberately slowed down.
• Talking about corruption might put someone on the radar of intelligence agencies, leading to call tracing or questioning.
• Families of journalists or activists risk being interrogated simply because one member dared to speak to the press.

Over time, these practices push people into self-censorship. Instead of freely sharing opinions, citizens learn to remain silent out of fear.

Borrowing From China’s Playbook

Pakistan’s model is not entirely new. China’s “Great Firewall” has long been used to restrict free speech and filter the internet for more than a billion people. Now, by borrowing both ideas and technology, Pakistan is trying to replicate a similar system at home.

The concern is not only censorship – it is the loss of digital freedom. Once citizens become accustomed to surveillance, it becomes nearly impossible to reverse.

Human Rights and Legal Concerns

Pakistan already has laws like the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), but critics argue that these laws are often used to silence critics rather than protect people. A National Commission for Personal Data Protection has been set up, but experts warn it lacks the independence to truly safeguard citizens’ privacy.

This raises urgent questions:

• Who controls the data collected by these systems?
• For how long is it stored?
• Is there any judicial oversight, or does unchecked power rest with intelligence agencies?

Without clear answers, Pakistan risks sliding into a system where privacy is a privilege, not a right.

Why the World Should Care

This is not just a Pakistani issue. When governments buy and use foreign surveillance technology without safeguards, it creates a dangerous precedent. Companies that supply this equipment are indirectly enabling governments to stifle dissent and undermine democracy.

For ordinary citizens outside Pakistan, this report is also a reminder to value the freedoms they may take for granted – uncensored internet access, freedom of speech, and the right to communicate privately.

Conclusion

Pakistan’s new surveillance systems show how quickly digital freedom can be traded away in the name of “security.” Millions of people are unknowingly paying, through their taxes, for technology that reduces their freedom of expression.

The bigger tragedy is that while citizens are silenced at home, sections of the ruling elite and military families continue to invest their wealth abroad, far from the reality faced by everyday Pakistanis.

This report should serve as a wake-up call – not only for Pakistan’s people, but for the global community. Digital rights must be defended, because once they are lost, regaining them is far harder.