Kashmiris use VPN apps to circumvent blocked social media sites

This appeared in The Millennial Source

Indian authorities restored limited internet access in Kashmir on January 25, nearly six months after the region was originally taken offline. This marks the longest internet blockade on record for a democracy

However, the majority of social media sites remain blocked for the seven million residents of the region, many of whom have taken to using VPN apps to gain access to them.

VPNs are popular in many countries where the government controls users’ internet use, countries such as China, since VPNs use proxy servers that alter a user’s location so that they’re not subject to regional blockades.

On January 27, citizens from the Kashmir region were using keywords and hashtags with “Viva La VPN” on their social media accounts.

Slow-speed 2G services resumed

In India-administered Kashmir, local authorities allowed slow-speed 2G services to resume on January 25, albeit with the ability for users to only access a little over 300 “authorized” websites, primarily belonging to the government or banking institutions.

Sheikh Adnan, a scholar based in New Delhi, told Al-Jazeera that he was able to use WhatsApp to…