{"id":87989,"date":"2024-08-15T09:59:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-15T09:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/?p=87989"},"modified":"2024-08-15T10:00:07","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T10:00:07","slug":"fiverr-accounts-of-some-pakistani-freelancers-made-unavailable-due-to-internet-disruptions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2024\/87989\/","title":{"rendered":"Fiverr accounts of some Pakistani freelancers made \u2018unavailable\u2019 due to internet disruptions’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Islamabad (National Times) Freelancing platform Fiverr has made several accounts in Pakistan \u201cunavailable\u201d due to possible \u201cinternet disruptions\u201d, workers using the site have said, while rights activists have lamented the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A day ago, a body of internet service providers alleged that the government\u2019s heightened efforts to monitor internet traffic had resulted in a significant nationwide slowdown of services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internet users have speculated that the disruptions were the result of a firewall being installed by the government to monitor and keep check on users. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), however, denied that the issue was caused by a firewall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, users had faced difficulties in accessing social media platforms \u2014 though X (formerly Twitter) has already been banned across the country for almost six months citing \u201csecurity concerns\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Three Fiverr users confirmed that they received a notification from the platform that their profiles have been made \u201cunavailable\u201d to clients \u2014 seemingly aimed at preventing a user\u2019s profile from receiving negative ratings as a result of inactivity due to possible internet disruptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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However, a Fiverr user from Faisalabad said she did not receive any such notification, indicating that the platform\u2019s action may be limited to certain cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLast week, I received notification on my Fiverr account from Fiverr support telling me that my gigs are made unavailable to clients across the world because Fiverr came to know that there is internet interruption in Pakistan,\u201d Sajid Hussain, a medical content writer based in Punjab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hussain shared screenshots of the email sent by Fiverr on August 1, which stated: \u201cWe understand that there may be internet disruptions in your area that might make it harder to keep your routine going.
\u201cTo make sure any unexpected order delays won\u2019t hurt your ratings, we\u2019re going ahead and temporarily setting your availability status and gig(s) as \u2018unavailable\u2019,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement clarified that the action by Fiverr would not negatively impact the freelancer\u2019s ratings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In case users were actually not facing any internet issues, the notification directed users to a guide on how to turn their availability back on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hussain said he was a doctor and worked part-time as a medical content writer via Fiverr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI personally knew many friends, juniors, and colleagues who are doctors, but are unemployed and they are using Fiverr to earn their livelihood,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Fiverr assured freelancers that their ratings were not being impacted, Hussain claimed: \u201cRecent interruption in the internet has badly affected connectivity especially when someone goes offline on Fiverr, it affects impression and less order from buyers. So yeah, it also affected me too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aiza Shahid, a student from Islamabad, also told about receiving a notification that stated her \u201caccount status is considered \u2018unavailable\u2019 due to [her] region\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis sudden change has left me in a difficult situation, as I rely on Fiverr not just for extra income but for essential financial support,\u201d Shahid lamented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor the past three years, I\u2019ve been able to use Fiverr without any regional restrictions, so this sudden unavailability was both unexpected and disruptive,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe income from Fiverr wasn\u2019t just extra cash; it was essential,\u201d Shahid highlighted, calling the platform her \u201clifeline\u201d as it was a means to cover her utility bills and education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe inability to access Fiverr could significantly impact my productivity and my ability to deliver services to clients, which in turn could harm my reputation and future opportunities,\u201d the student said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Fiverr user from Islamabad stated in a private Facebook group that he received the notification, adding that it was an \u201cautomated measure by Fiverr every time there is a countrywide disruption\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can easily manually turn it back on in two seconds. Everyone is just making a mountain out of a molehill,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFiverr does this so our response rate doesn\u2019t drop if we don\u2019t have the internet to make ourselves unavailable. For them, there won\u2019t be disappointed clients that don\u2019t hear back from potential sellers,\u201d the user explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, Saba Arshad from Faisalabad said she \u201cdid not get any such notification\u201d on her Fiverr account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u2018Out-of-office mode\u2019: Fiverr staffer
<\/strong>Meanwhile, in response to a user\u2019s query on Fiverr\u2019s community platform, one of the company\u2019s staffers posted a similar statement on Tuesday.
Lena, a Fiverr staffer, said: \u201cWe understand that there may be internet disruptions\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cTo make sure any unexpected order delays won\u2019t hurt your seller ratings, we set Pakistani sellers into out-of-office mode,\u201d Lena added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll also make sure that any currently open orders that are unfulfilled won\u2019t affect your ratings. Your account is fully operational and will continue to be,\u201d the Fiverr staffer stated, clarifying that users themselves could revert their status to available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights activists lament \u2018unstable internet\u2019, WhatsApp disruptions
Meanwhile, rights activists have also highlighted reported \u201cslow and unstable\u201d internet access and difficulties in downloading media files on WhatsApp, stressing that it would negatively impact businesses and students who rely heavily on internet access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farieha Aziz, co-founder of internet advocacy platform BoloBhi, said on X that the \u201creality is slow and unstable internet\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDownward spiral,\u201d Aziz said as she criticised \u201cmoney being poured into network filtering [and] harmful regulation and lawmaking in digital sphere\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lawyer Jibran Nasir called on media anchors to dedicate \u201cone show in the spirit of Independence Day to discuss the impact of ongoing internet restrictions of different sectors of society and economy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acknowledging that the \u201cdangers of fake news are real and misinformation can be weaponised to instigate acts of violence\u201d, Nasir stressed the need to \u201crationalise the measures we take for our security concerns\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Renowned social activist and lawyer Imaan Mazari-Hazir said \u201cdocuments are not downloading on WhatsApp\u201d as she criticised an advertisement at New York\u2019s Times Square of an IT city by the ruling PML-N.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ammar Rashid, a public policy researcher and Awami Workers Party member, also assailed the same advertisement: \u201cJust incredible audacity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMeanwhile, millions trying to meet deadlines to scrape a living back home can barely download a PDF because the regime\u2019s hobbled the internet to silence criticism,\u201d Rashid said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wardah Noor, founder of disaster relief organisation xWave, said she was scheduled to teach 1,500 students from all across Pakistan as she shared an undated screenshot of what she said were messages from a student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMa\u2019am, the internet is not working at all here. Only text messages are sent on WhatsApp. Neither any voice note plays nor any link opens,\u201d the message said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t figure out how to attend the class?\u201d the purported student asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In another post on Tuesday, Noor said that \u201chundreds of our graduates are working with remote companies and earning in dollars to strengthen Pakistani economy but these recent internet outages [and] unannounced social media bans have disappointed us all\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo quality education can ever be accessible to the masses without the internet,\u201d Noor asserted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Islamabad (National Times) Freelancing platform Fiverr has made several accounts in Pakistan \u201cunavailable\u201d due to possible \u201cinternet disruptions\u201d, workers using the site have said, while rights activists have lamented the issue. A day ago, a body of internet service providers alleged that the government\u2019s heightened efforts to monitor internet traffic had resulted in a significant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":87998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nFiverr accounts of some Pakistani freelancers made \u2018unavailable\u2019 due to internet disruptions' - Nation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2024\/87989\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fiverr accounts of some Pakistani freelancers made \u2018unavailable\u2019 due to internet disruptions' - Nation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Islamabad (National Times) Freelancing platform Fiverr has made several accounts in Pakistan \u201cunavailable\u201d due to possible \u201cinternet disruptions\u201d, workers using the site have said, while rights activists have lamented the issue. 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