Global tech firms enabled Pakistan’s mass surveillance and censorship infrastructure; Amnesty report

A sweeping investigation by Amnesty International has exposed how a network of international technology companies enabled the Pakistani government to build and upgrade a massive digital surveillance and censorship apparatus, often with little transparency and in disregard of human rights obligations.

The report, titled Shadows of Control, reveals that Pakistan’s mass monitoring capabilities are powered by foreign-sourced technology, including systems from German, Chinese, Canadian, American, and Emirati firms. These technologies form the backbone of Pakistan’s Web Monitoring System (WMS) and Lawful Intercept Management System (LIMS), which together allow state agencies to monitor, intercept, and block digital communications on a massive scale.

According to the report:

• Utimaco (Germany) and Datafusion (UAE) supplied and installed the LIMS system, which enables real-time interception of calls, messages, and internet activity. Trade data shows Datafusion exported LIMS-related hardware to Pakistani telecom providers including Jazz, Zong, Telenor, and Ufone between 2014 and 2024.

• Sandvine (Canada, now rebranded as AppLogic Networks) provided the initial technology for WMS 1.0, which was used to block websites and throttle internet speeds. Sandvine hardware was shipped to Pakistani firms Inbox Business Technologies, SN Skies, and A Hamson as early as 2016.

• Geedge Networks (China) later upgraded the system to WMS 2.0, often described as a commercialized version of China’s “Great Firewall.” Hardware was shipped via ELINC China Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of state-owned China Electronics Corporation (CEC), to ELC Solutions Pvt Ltd in Pakistan.

• Niagara Networks (U.S.) supplied fibre-tap hardware used in both versions of the WMS, enabling deep packet inspection and traffic mirroring.

• Thales DIS (France) provided licensing software critical to the operation of Geedge’s systems.

Despite repeated inquiries, the Pakistani government has not disclosed the full cost of these systems. However, media reports suggest that approximately PKR 5 billion (USD 17.8 million) was diverted from the Universal Service Fund to finance the national firewall project. A further PKR 10 billion (USD 35.7 million) was approved in early 2024 for the Digital Information Infrastructure (DII) initiative, which includes cybersecurity and monitoring capabilities.

Commercial trade records reviewed by Amnesty show millions of dollars in hardware shipments from these companies to Pakistani intermediaries, though declared values often appear understated or omitted.

Amnesty International reached out to 29 entities, including companies and government agencies. Only Niagara Networks and AppLogic Networks responded substantively. Utimaco and Datafusion acknowledged earlier research queries but did not address the report’s findings. Most companies, including Geedge Networks, Huawei, Thales, and ELINC, did not respond.

Governments of Germany, Canada, China, the UAE, and the U.S. also failed to provide meaningful answers regarding export licenses or human rights due diligence.

The report emphasizes that these companies have a responsibility under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to conduct rigorous human rights due diligence. Many continued to supply high-risk technologies to Pakistan despite its well-documented history of digital repression, internet shutdowns, and targeting of dissent.

In its report, Amnesty calls for an immediate halt to all exports of surveillance and censorship technologies to Pakistan until robust safeguards are in place, and urges companies to adopt transparent human rights policies and grievance mechanisms.