In the world where ‘Freedom’ is the most sought out service, how free is our media and to what extent one can go where he starts to irk the higher hierarchy. The writer, with his own experiences, tells the tale where freedom itself doesn’t seem much free.

The Freedom House has declared Pakistan ‘Not Free’ in terms of internet use for the ninth consecutive year, with the country score decreasing from 27 to 26 out of 100 in 2019.

The international watchdog on Tuesday released its Freedom on the Net (FoTN) report for the year 2019, titled “The Crisis of Social Media”, recording an overall decline in global internet freedom between June 2018 and May 2019.

It noted that governments around the world were increasingly using social media to manipulate elections and monitor their citizens, tilting the technology toward digital authoritarianism.

The report placed Pakistan at 26, out of 100 (0 being the worst) — one place down from last year’s ranking. The country scored 5 out of 25 for obstacles to access, 14 out of 35 for limits on content, and 7 out of 40 for violation of user rights index.

Globally, Pakistan is among the worst 10 countries in terms of internet and digital media freedom. In terms of regional ranking, Pakistan emerged as the third worst country after Vietnam and China.

Internet penetration registered only marginal increases during the reporting period. There are 67 million broadband connections in Pakistan, an increase of 10m since the last report. However, it added that government initiatives to provide access to remote areas had progressed in recent years.

The report observed that authorities frequently disrupt telecommunication services during protests, elections, and religious and national holidays, often citing security concerns. During the 2018 general elections, mobile internet services were notably suspended in parts of Balochistan, and in all of former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) during both the election period and in the lead-up.

Government surveillance and social media monitoring were of key concern during the coverage period, as was the continued lack of a data protection law. The report said that users continued to face intimidation, blackmail, and at times violence, in response to their online activity.

When it comes to the issue of censorship, the report talks about how different tactics are employed to intimidate or silence journalists online. It mentions specific cases in which warnings though official channels, such as the FIA, Twitter or even confiscation of devices, are tools through which the state imposes censorship in the digital space. In addition to these tactics, it describes how online ‘mob justice’ warriors spewing hate speech lead to self-censorship.

Freedom on the net in Pakistan is under constant threat from government authorities. Different excuses have been made to violate the basic right of the citizens to express themselves or access any information they want.

Civil society, human rights groups and NGOs play an important role in condemning government censorship, but there is a need to widen this role by raising more awareness about internet- related human rights in the country.

Overall, the report does not paint a happy picture for the direction in which Pakistan is headed. The gender gap and urban-rural divide in terms of access mean currently the internet is only for a few citizens. If the overall digital environment is plagued with these issues, promising areas such as e-commerce will not be able to thrive. The new government must focus on these areas and work towards an inclusive, free and safe digital space.