‘4 million phones under govt’s radar’: Amnesty flags illegal surveillance in Pakistan; claims spy agencies using Chinese tech

Pakistan — with the assistance of Chinese know-how — is spying on thousands and thousands of its residents to curb dissent and free speech, an Amnesty International report mentioned.According to the report, Pakistan is using a Chinese-built web firewall that censors social media, enabling spy agencies to watch at the very least 4 million cell phones at a time via its Lawful Intercept Management System (LIMS). The firewall, generally known as WMS 2.0, inspects web visitors and might block 2 million energetic classes directly.The human rights watchdog mentioned it reviewed licensing agreements, commerce knowledge, leaked technical information, and Chinese data linking the firewall provider to state-owned corporations in Beijing.Amnesty mentioned the firewall makes use of tools from US-based Niagara Networks, software program from Thales DIS — a unit of France’s Thales — and servers from a Chinese state IT agency. An earlier model relied on Canada’s Sandvine.“The two monitoring systems function in tandem: one lets intelligence agencies tap calls and texts, while the other slows or blocks websites and social media across the country,” the report mentioned.“Mass surveillance creates a chilling effect in society, whereby people are deterred from exercising their rights, both online and offline,” it added.The report additional mentioned that Pakistan is at the moment blocking about 650,000 internet hyperlinks and limiting entry to platforms equivalent to YouTube, Facebook, and X.It additionally accused agencies of spying on at the very least 4 million cell phones at a time via LIMS, whereas WMS 2.0 can block 2 million energetic classes directly, Amnesty mentioned.Amnesty famous that its findings draw on a 2024 Islamabad High Court case filed by Bushra Bibi, the spouse of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, after her non-public calls have been leaked on-line.In court docket, Pakistan’s protection ministries and intelligence agencies denied operating and even having the capability for telephone tapping. However, under questioning, the telecom regulator admitted it had already ordered telephone firms to put in LIMS to be used by “designated agencies.”Crackdowns have tightened in latest years, significantly after the army broke with then Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022. Khan was later jailed, and hundreds of his social gathering activists have been detained.