Pakistan remains one of the world’s steepest long-term internet freedom decliners, according to the Freedom on the Net 2025 report, which places the country among five authoritarian governments that have recorded the largest drop in digital rights over the past 15 years.
The report groups Pakistan with Egypt, Russia, Turkey and Venezuela, underscoring the scale of its sustained deterioration.
Researchers say authorities have repeatedly expanded legal and technical controls, including the 2016 cybercrime law, which has been widened to criminalize “false information.”
The measures have been used to prosecute journalists and opposition figures. Pakistan also deployed Chinese-style website-blocking systems during the coverage period, further tightening restrictions on political content and dissent.
The country’s internet freedom score stands at 27 out of 100.