Amnesty International says Pakistan is spying on millions of its citizens using a phone-tapping system and a Chinese-built internet firewall.
The rights group says this is one of the biggest surveillance systems in the world outside China.
The report says Pakistan’s spy agencies can monitor at least 4 million mobile phones at the same time using a system called Lawful Intercept Management System (LIMS). At the same time, a firewall called WMS 2.0 can block or slow down up to 2 million internet sessions. This allows the government to tap calls and texts while also blocking social media and websites.
Amnesty also found that all four mobile operators in Pakistan have been told to connect to this system. Even though security agencies deny running phone tapping, Pakistan’s telecom regulator admitted in court that phone companies were ordered to install it. This came out during a 2024 Islamabad High Court case filed by Bushra Bibi, the wife of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, after her private calls were leaked online.
The firewall is supplied by Chinese company Geedge Networks and is linked to state-owned firms in Beijing. Amnesty says Pakistan is already blocking about 650,000 web links, including major platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter). The hardest-hit area is Balochistan, where districts have faced years-long internet blackouts.
Rights groups say the system is being used to silence critics and activists. Amnesty warned that this kind of mass surveillance creates fear in society and discourages people from speaking freely both online and offline (via Reuters).
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