Introduction
Recent reports from two online monitoring tools have contradicted government assertions of uninterrupted internet services in Pakistan. These tools indicate widespread connectivity issues, particularly on social media platforms, raising concerns among users about the reliability of internet access during critical times.
Internet Monitoring Tools
An analysis by Dawn utilized data from the Internet Outage Detection and Analysis (IODA) tool, developed by the Internet Intelligence Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This tool tracks real-time internet connectivity and has highlighted significant disruptions that users experienced while attempting to access various social media services.
Despite the government’s claims of stable internet services, the IODA tool indicated that disruptions persisted for several hours. IODA specializes in measuring network stability, and its findings revealed that while the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routes remained stable, indicating no major outages on a broader scale, users were still facing difficulties.
Understanding BGP Stability
A network expert explained that the stability of BGP routes—unique identifiers assigned to major internet providers—suggests that a major network-wide outage had not occurred. Typically, significant disruptions in BGP stability can be attributed to factors such as faults in submarine cables or fires at data centers. Thus, the stability at the BGP level led to a misleading sense of normalcy regarding internet access.
Discrepancies in Data
However, IODA’s analysis showed that, despite a stable BGP level, disruptions in internet access were significant. The tool examined traffic directed to popular services like Google, YouTube, and Gmail to determine internet stability. IODA reported restricted traffic from Pakistan to Google services between 10 PM on Saturday and 8:30 AM on Sunday, and again from 1:30 PM to 6 PM on the same day. Such fluctuations indicated that users faced difficulties accessing these services, despite the stable network infrastructure suggested by BGP data.
The Importance of Traffic Analysis
Experts assert that traffic to Google addresses serves as a reliable indicator of general internet usage. If typical traffic patterns are disrupted, it can indicate restrictions in internet access. For instance, if the expected volume of data traffic directed toward Google services drops significantly, it is likely reflective of broader internet access issues.
Social Media Access Issues
The disruptions reported by IODA were further corroborated by Downdetector, another online monitoring tool that tracks user reports of service outages. Users have expressed frustrations over being unable to access various social media platforms, which has become increasingly important for communication and information sharing, especially during critical events.
Conclusion
The findings from these monitoring tools challenge the government’s assertions of uninterrupted internet service, suggesting that many users have encountered significant barriers to accessing essential online services. As the reliance on the internet for communication and information grows, it is crucial for both the government and internet service providers to address these discrepancies and ensure that users can access the services they need without undue restrictions. The ongoing analysis by tools like IODA and Downdetector will continue to play a vital role in shedding light on the true state of internet connectivity in the country.
