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VPN usage in Bangladesh has surged due to violent protests and government-imposed internet restrictions. In Bangladesh, there was a conflict for quota in the government jobs taking place on July 15 and resulted in many students getting hurt and at least five people being killed. The police tried to stop the conflict, but it escalated and led to protests in different places. As a result, the government imposed a curfew and restricted internet access throughout the country on July 19.
Blocking social media and news sites aims to stop protesters from communicating and spreading information. But this has led to more people using VPNs to access blocked content and communicate safely.
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According to vpnMentor research team In Bangladesh, VPN usage increased by an incredible 5016% last week. This surge began on July 22 and reached its peak on July 25. After the situation improved, broadband internet was restored and the demand for VPNs started to decrease. However, as of the publication date, the numbers are still high, at over 2500%.
Source: VPN mentor
VPNs help people bypass firewalls by encrypting their internet traffic and routing it through servers in other countries. This allows users to hide their IP addresses and access restricted websites. Many Bangladeshis found VPNs essential to maintain their online freedom during temporary restrictions.
VPN demand has increased in the past due to protests, social media suspensions, and restricted access to certain apps or websites. The vpnMentor research team has observed these trends.
In March 2024, VPN usage in Spain increased by 330% the day before a protest in Madrid. Two weeks later, there was another increase in VPN usage, this time by 150%, after the temporary ban of Telegram in the country.
State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunayed Ahmed Palak said yesterday (July 28) that Meta and TikTok authorities have been called for a meeting with the telecom regulatory authority on Wednesday (July 31) and only if they abide by local laws in removing inflammatory and misinformed content, Their services will be restarted.
Mobile internet was restarted yesterday at 3 pm after 10 days after only broadband internet was restarted last Tuesday (July 23).
