By Farieha Aziz (Co-Founder, Bolo Bhi) & Vivek Krishnamurthy (Director, TLPC)
Since the beginning of 2024, network disruptions and slow internet speeds have become the norm in Pakistan. Various reasons have been cited, including faults in undersea cables, upgrades to a web-management system, and the installation of a national firewall—sometimes referred to interchangeably.
Government officials and regulators have provided contradictory accounts, neither fully acknowledging the deployments nor clarifying their exact nature. Nevertheless, their narrative consistently emphasizes that firewalls exist in many countries and that content regulation, including restrictions on speech about state institutions and public officials, is a global norm. The justification for these measures is typically framed in terms of national security, counterterrorism, and the fight against “fake news.”
Earlier in 2024, Bolo Bhi and the Samuelson-Glushko Technology Law and Policy Clinic (TLPC) at the University of Colorado Law School worked together to examine Pakistan’s approach to regulating disinformation. This included analyzing changes to Pakistan’s laws in comparison with international approaches and standards.
This term, TLPC students Jordan Chen, Santana Andazola, Neven Grigic, and Natalie Phillips explored content regulation and speech restrictions in the context of claims that such practices are common worldwide—even in the US and EU. The project explored whether Pakistan’s restrictions— implemented through both technological measures and legislative changes—align with those in other jurisdictions. The resulting memoranda, which are compiled in this document, provide insights into what actually happens in other regions and highlight how these practices differ from Pakistan’s approach.