The Attack on Digital Freedoms in IIOJK: India’s Suspension of VPN Services as a Tool to Control Communication

In a troubling move, the Modi regime has ordered the suspension of VPN services across Rajouri district in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) for two months. The directive, which claims to be part of an investigation into anti-India activities, targets a basic tool for privacy and secure communication. This action exposes the regime’s continuing crackdown on digital freedoms, further deepening the communication blackout and limiting the ability of Kashmiris to access vital information and express dissent.

♦ Violation of Basic Rights:
Suspending VPN services unjustly curtails the right to secure communication, affecting the privacy and digital freedoms of the people in the region.

♦ A Tool to Control Dissent:
The suspension of VPNs is a clear attempt to silence dissent and restrict Kashmiris’ ability to access information freely, reinforcing the regime’s digital surveillance.

♦ Further Isolation of Kashmiris:
By restricting access to VPNs, the Indian authorities deepen Kashmir’s isolation, preventing its people from connecting with the outside world and engaging in open communication.

A Step Backward for Digital Freedom and Privacy

This move by the Indian authorities is part of a broader effort to control digital communication in IIOJK. VPNs are widely used globally for privacy, secure browsing, and communication, especially in regions under authoritarian control. By suspending these services, the regime is taking a step backward, violating the privacy rights of Kashmiris and restricting their ability to engage in the digital world without surveillance.

♦ Misusing Security Concerns:
Using national security as an excuse, the Indian regime is targeting a basic privacy tool, criminalizing secure communication without any real evidence of wrongdoing.

♦ Criminalizing Basic Communication Tools:
This unjust move criminalizes ordinary tools for privacy and communication, creating an atmosphere of fear and restriction in the region.

The Growing Repression of Information Flow

Targeting VPN services is part of a broader effort by the Indian authorities to control the flow of information in IIOJK. The Indian government has already imposed numerous internet shutdowns, blocked social media platforms, and censored news outlets. By targeting VPN services, the regime is effectively increasing its stranglehold on information and further isolating Kashmiris from global communication and support.

♦ A Systematic Strategy of Censorship:
This move is another step in the Indian regime’s ongoing effort to censor information, silence voices of dissent, and prevent Kashmiris from accessing critical news and global support.

♦ Stifling Free Speech and Access to Information:
The regime’s actions restrict access to free speech and critical information, further limiting the ability of Kashmiris to express themselves and communicate openly.

Digital Repression: Targeting the Ordinary Citizen

This suspension of VPN services has a profound impact on students, journalists, professionals, and everyday citizens who rely on secure internet access. VPNs are essential for privacy, particularly in regions where the government monitors and restricts online activities. The suspension will exacerbate the already existing communication restrictions and further limit the free flow of information, essential for education, work, and daily life.

♦ Harming Education and Professional Work:
The suspension restricts access to secure tools for students, journalists, and professionals, hindering their ability to work, learn, and communicate in a digital world.

♦ Infringing on Everyday Digital Rights:
By targeting VPN services, the Indian regime infringes on the fundamental digital rights of Kashmiris, denying them secure access to the internet and personal privacy.

A Bigger Agenda: Expanding Surveillance in IIOJK

This suspension is part of a broader strategy by the Indian government to expand its digital surveillance capabilities in IIOJK. The authorities have repeatedly targeted social media platforms, blocked internet access, and surveilled communication, making it clear that their goal is not security but total control over digital and physical spaces in the region.

♦ Expansion of Surveillance Tools:
The suspension of VPN services reflects the regime’s desire to control and monitor all digital communications in IIOJK, expanding its digital surveillance state.

♦ Threatening Privacy Rights:
By targeting VPNs, the regime is violating the digital privacy rights of Kashmiris, treating their basic communication tools as threats.

India’s Hypocritical Claims of Normalcy in IIOJK

While the Modi government continues to claim that normalcy has been restored in IIOJK, the suspension of VPN services reveals the true state of affairs. The region remains under heavy surveillance, with basic freedoms, including the freedom to access secure internet services, continually restricted. The regime’s claims of peace and development in Kashmir are belied by actions that further entrench the occupation and deny Kashmiris their rights.

♦ False Claims of Normalcy:
The regime’s claims of a peaceful and normal situation in Kashmir are contradicted by the ongoing repression and restrictions, making it clear that the region remains under occupation.

♦ A Repressive Regime in Disguise:
The Modi government’s claims of normalcy are undermined by the continuous repression and control over digital and physical spaces in IIOJK.

The Need for Global Action Against Repression in IIOJK

The suspension of VPN services in Rajouri is a blatant violation of digital freedoms and an indication of the growing repression under Indian occupation in IIOJK. This move, which targets privacy tools used by citizens for secure communication, is part of a larger strategy to control and monitor every aspect of digital and physical life in the region. The international community must take a stand to hold India accountable for its actions in IIOJK, demanding the protection of fundamental rights and the end of digital and physical repression in the occupied region. The people of IIOJK must be allowed to live with dignity and freedom, free from government surveillance and control.