On Sunday, several internet users in Pakistan reported “restricted access” to virtual private networks (VPNs) and poor connectivity. Downdetector received multiple complaints, particularly from users of VPN Unlimited and Tunnelbear, with a peak of 10 outage reports for VPN Unlimited by 6:15 pm. Tunnelbear users continued to face issues until 7:29 pm.
Many users on X (formerly Twitter) shared their struggles, listing which VPN services were still functioning. Complaints about slow VPN speeds and total inaccessibility were widespread, as VPNs are often used in Pakistan to access banned sites like X.
Read more: Government Blames ‘Excessive VPN Use’ for Internet Slowdowns
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has been actively working to limit VPN use since August, especially to block access to X, which is banned for national security reasons.
Despite initial denials from the PTA regarding VPN restrictions, users continued to report limited access. A recent analysis by Bytes For All (B4A) found that VPNs provided better speeds and fewer disruptions compared to regular internet connections.
