Pakistan VPN ban: how to stay safe online and bypass restrictions

VPN usage in Pakistan has never been so high, the government is set to introduce a new policy that could potentially ban the use of “unregistered” services starting today, November 30, 2024.

People in Pakistan have been turning en masse to VPN services throughout 2024 as they look for a way to bypass growing censorship online. WhatsApp is just the latest social media platform currently blocked in the country. The block came two days after authorities restricted Bluesky amid a surge in popularity worldwide. X, Facebook, and Instagram also can’t be accessed without a VPN.

I’ve spoken with some experts to understand what’s at stake and discover everything you might need to know to retain internet freedoms in the country.

How to avoid disruption in Pakistan

• Set up a manual VPN
• Contact VPN support teams
• Rotate VPN providers

If you experience some issues downloading or using your VPN app in the next days or weeks, Gytis Malinauskas, Head of Legal at Surfshark suggests setting up a manual VPN connection. You’ll likely find the details on how to do this on specific devices on your provider’s website such as this step-by-step guide from Surfshark. Remember, you’ll still need a VPN account to do this.

If this doesn’t work, contact your provider’s support team for assistance. “Our team is continuously working to provide our users with privacy and security solutions even in regions with challenging internet landscapes,” Malinauskas explains.

Both Malinauskas and Simon Migliano, Head of Research at Top10VPN, also recommend rotating through multiple VPN providers.

“It’s likely to be a bit of a lottery, at least at first,” Migliano told TechRadar. “Based on the recent test runs of Pakistan’s new firewall, I’m…