According to a news report, police in the India-controlled Kashmir has mounted a crackdown against hundreds who are using virtual private networks (VPNs) to find their way around a social media ban imposed by authorities in the disputed region. The action which has attracted a lot of concerns by human rights activists has seen the police opening cases and probing hundreds of people who authorities allege to be misusing social media to promote "unlawful activities and secessionist ideology."

According to the report, several human rights activists have called on authorities to restore Internet access in the region like any democratic society and stop going after people using VPNs to circumvent the controversial ban, which is an infringement on their right to information and freedom of expression.