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Bangladesh social media censorship leads to over 7000% increase in VPN usage (www.techradar.com)

submitted 1 month ago by lemmee_in@lemm.ee to c/technology@lemmy.world

9 comments fedilink hide all child comments

People in Bangladesh have turned en masse to the VPN apps to bypass ongoing internet restrictions in the aftermath of widespread anti-government protests.

The first spike in VPN usage was recorded on July 23, 2024, when authorities began to ease fixed-line internet restrictions after five days of complete internet shutdown.

Mobile connectivity was restored on Sunday, July 28. Yet, access to the likes of Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp, and YouTube is still restricted at the time of writing. This explains why data shows VPN downloads and signups continue to be high across the region.

Proton recorded VPN usage spikes in 11 countries since January alone. Similarly to the Bangladesh case, most of them were linked with social unrest including Kenya at the end of June, New Caledonia in May, and Senegal in February.

With social media platforms being blocked in Bangladesh at the time of writing, VPNs remain a crucial tool if you're inside the country.

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[–] Piemanding@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I wonder how many native Chinese use VPN's

[–] TwinTusks@bitforged.space 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Quite a bit actually. Traditionally, only those who wishes "freedom" would contact outside, then there people who work with foreign companies/individuals, any tech who work in IT would need vpn, those who came back from studying aboard, and newly, theres celebrity fans who use vpn only to follow their favorite celebrity.