‘Right to life’ endangered, not preserved

Research report says govts’ ‘go-to-tool’ has far-reaching impacts

KARACHI: Network shutdowns can have far-reaching, adverse economic and social implications and endanger the very right they seek to preserve - the right to life - by denying users to connect to family and access health and emergency services, says a September-2015 research named ‘Security v Access: The Impact of Mobile Network Shutdowns’.

As a security measure, the Pakistani government imposed a nationwide suspension of cellular services for two days on account of 9th and 10th of Muharram (October 23 and 24).



Admitting the fact that Islamabad faces grave internal threats and serious security situations, the report - which was published by digital rights group Bytes for All - said concerns regarding network shutdowns becoming the ‘go-to-tool’ were growing.

“Blunt network shutdowns cannot offer a long-term solution for any country in combating terrorism or other security threats,” the report said.

The research was conducted at the Telenor Pakistan Headquarter by the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) - an international think tank. It assesses the context of network disconnections and documents how the company receives and acts on requests from the government to initiate network shutdowns.



Information and Communications Technology (ICT), the research says, is recognised internationally for having a positive effect on the enjoyment of both civil and political rights, as well as the economic, social and cultural rights; in particular, the freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, the right to educate and to work.

The ICT is a key enabler to all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the report said referring to the set of 17 SDGs, which were adopted by United Nations (UN) in September, 2015 - some of these include combating poverty and advancing health, education, livelihoods, and access to information.

“Network shutdowns are therefore a fundamental risk, not just to freedom of expression, national or personal security or business operations, but also to the most fundamental of sustainable development challenges faced by all states,” it says.





Moreover, blanket suspension causes massive loss to government in tax revenues - the November-2012 shutdown during Ashura caused Rs500 million in losses to the government in tax revenue.

The history of network shutdowns in Pakistan can be traced back to 2012 when the then Interior Minister of Pakistan began ordering suspension of cellular services across the country as a tool to curb terrorist activities. Though it slowed down with change of government, its scope is increasing to incorporate Internet based messaging services, such as Skype and Whatsapp.

Public opinion on network shutdown

The study also surveyed the masses on how they felt during network shutdowns. Notably, the report said the respondents felt thrown back in time to “being back in the 90s” or said the disconnection from mobile phone networks is “probably what the Stone Age felt like.”



When asked whether they would be willing to disconnect communications services, the vast majority of respondents (72%) said no. A large portion of survey respondents (69%) said they did not feel safe when communications were shut down for security reasons. The report also included proposals, such as invoking network shutdowns only in cases of real and imminent threats to the national security, limiting the shutdowns in duration and geographical areas and informing public beforehand including the duration of the shutdown and the services affected.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2015.

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