#BLACKOUTS SKYROCKET AMID GLOBAL UNREST UPDATE#
#BLACKOUTS SKYROCKET AMID GLOBAL UNREST VERIFICATION#
#BLACKOUTS SKYROCKET AMID GLOBAL UNREST FREE#

No reason has been given for the block, however Twitter was blocked earlier in the month on the grounds that it was facilitating the spread of misinformation about the government’s response to the earthquakes that rocked Turkey and Syria. The 60% uplift followed the ban on local social media platform Ekşi Sözlük, which is similar to Reddit. Turkeyĭemand for VPN services in Turkey experienced another notable increase on February 22. In a recent investigation of ChatGPT clone apps, we found significant privacy issues.Ĭhart showing daily VPN demand increases in Ethiopia compared with the daily average over the 28 days prior. ĭemand for VPN services remained higher than average in the days that followed, at more than four times (315%) higher than average.

#BLACKOUTS SKYROCKET AMID GLOBAL UNREST VERIFICATION#

This increase came as Italian authorities temporarily banned ChatGPT based on its lack of age verification and the massive data collection and storage that underpins it. VPN demand in Italy surged by 678% on April 1 compared to the daily average over the prior 28 days. The increase in VPN demand in Brazil continue into April 28 when it was 128% higher than the baseline and remained 49% higher the following day.Īccess to Telegram was blocked as a result of a court order due to the messaging platform’s refusal to supply user data on far-right groups. VPN demand on April 27 spiked 192% higher than the daily average over the previous 28 days. On May 3, the surge in VPN demand in Utah had slowed a little but remained 767% higher than average.ĭemand for VPN services in Brazil has surged following local authorities’ decision to block Telegram. On May 2, demand for VPN services surged by 847% compared to that baseline. VPN demand began to rise the day before the new rules kicked in, increasing by 142% on May 1 compared to the daily average over the 28 days prior. state due to the introduction of new age verification laws on May 2. Utah, U.S.ĭemand for VPN services in Utah have skyrocketed after adult website Pornhub disabled its website for visitors from the U.S. While VPN demand has softened in the days since then, it remains on average 673% higher than it was in the period leading up to Khan’s arrest.Īccess to mobile broadband services were also cut “indefinitely” across the country, according to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. VPN demand remained greatly elevated on May 11 at 1,050% above the daily average. ĭemand for VPN services spiked by 311% on May 9 compared to the daily average over the preceding 28 days before rocketing to 1,329% above that average on May 10. VPN demand in Pakistan surged after authorities blocked access to Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms on May 9 following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, which sparked violent protests. On the day of the vote, VPN demand remained 56% higher than average.Īccess to Eksi Sozluk was previously blocked in February by the Turkish government. It doubled (99%) on May 13 compared to the 28-day average as authorities began restricting access to popular local social media platform Eksi Sozluk. On May 12 VPN demand increased by 68% compared to the daily average over the previous 28 days.

#BLACKOUTS SKYROCKET AMID GLOBAL UNREST FREE#

While free VPN apps are naturally popular during government-mandated internet outages, we urge caution and advise using a trustworthy free VPN or, wherever possible, a high quality premium VPN service.ĭemand for VPN services in Turkey began to increase significantly in the days immediately before the country went to the polls on May 14 for its presidential election. We also investigate and test individual VPNs that benefit most from these surges in demand, to identify potential privacy and security issues. Unless noted otherwise, our method for calculating demand increases is to compare the elevated period with the average over the previous 30 days.

#BLACKOUTS SKYROCKET AMID GLOBAL UNREST UPDATE#

We will use that data to update this page whenever we identify a significant surge that correlates with social or political events. We routinely monitor fluctuations in global VPN demand as part of our day-to-day work. These anti-censorship tools are often the only way for people affected by social media blocks to communicate with each other during the upheavals that often accompany such measures. Whenever authoritarian regimes around the world try to control the populace by disrupting internet access, people turn to Virtual Private Networks (VPN) services in order to circumvent restrictions.

Blackouts skyrocket amid global unrest