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

Pakistan — with the help of Chinese technology — is spying on millions of its citizens to curb dissent and free speech, an Amnesty International report said.According to the report, Pakistan is using a Chinese-built internet firewall that censors social media, enabling spy agencies to monitor at least 4 million mobile phones at a time through its Lawful Intercept Management System (LIMS). The firewall, known as WMS 2.0, inspects internet traffic and can block 2 million active sessions at once.The human rights watchdog said it reviewed licensing agreements, trade data, leaked technical files, and Chinese records linking the firewall supplier to state-owned firms in Beijing.Amnesty said the firewall uses equipment from US-based Niagara Networks, software from Thales DIS — a unit of France's Thales — and servers from a Chinese state IT firm. An earlier version 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 said. "Mass surveillance creates a chilling effect in society, whereby people are deterred from exercising their rights, both online and offline," it added.The report further said that Pakistan is currently blocking about 650,000 web links and restricting access to platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and X.It also accused agencies of spying on at least 4 million mobile phones at a time through LIMS, while WMS 2.0 can block 2 million active sessions at once, Amnesty said.Amnesty noted that its findings draw on 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.In court, Pakistan's defense ministries and intelligence agencies denied running or even having the capacity for phone tapping. However, under questioning, the telecom regulator admitted it had already ordered phone companies to install LIMS for use by "designated agencies."Crackdowns have tightened in recent years, particularly after the military broke with then Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022. Khan was later jailed, and thousands of his party activists were detained.