Recent violent protests in Bangladesh have led to a remarkable increase in Virtual Private Network (VPN) usage as citizens attempt to bypass government-imposed internet restrictions. According to data from vpnMentor’s research team, there was an incredible 5016% rise in VPN demand over the past week.
The unrest began on July 15 when two student groups with opposing political views clashed at a public university outside Dhaka, resulting in dozens of injuries and at least five deaths. As demonstrations spread, authorities implemented a curfew and strict internet controls on July 19 to curb communication among protesters and limit the spread of potentially inflammatory information.
These restrictions, however, had an unintended consequence. Starting July 22, VPN demand in Bangladesh spiked dramatically, peaking on July 25. Even after broadband internet was restored and the situation de-escalated, VPN usage remained high, with demand still over 2500% above normal levels.
VPNs allow users to encrypt their internet traffic and route it through servers in other countries, effectively bypassing regional restrictions and masking their true IP addresses. This technology became crucial for Bangladeshis seeking to maintain online freedom during the temporary restrictions.
The vpnMentor team also noted that such VPN demand spikes are not uncommon during periods of social unrest or internet censorship. A similar trend was observed in Spain earlier this year, with VPN demand increasing by 330% ahead of an opposition protest in Madrid in March. Two weeks later, Spain experienced another 150% surge in VPN usage following a court ruling that temporarily banned Telegram.
While most people use VPNs to access geo-restricted content, they also play a major role in maintaining internet access and communication freedom during periods of political tension and government-imposed restrictions. Even here in Kenya, protestors fighting the controversial Finance Bill began to make use of VPNs following reports of increasing police abductions.
