• A number of older and middle age people use both the social media entities and it is widely available in rural and urban areas

• There are lesser fake accounts on instagram, tiktok and other social media platforms. They also have lesser outreach in rural areas

Pakistan has highest number of fake Facebook and Twitter accounts. One can easily find hundreds of such accounts by just scrolling through the internet. A number of these users use images of unknown people and disguise as real ones. Sometimes, these scammers use images of famous people and one can find a social media handle of almost everyone.

The trend is specific to Twitter where one can find millions of comments from unreal people. Recently, two accounts of Anwar Maqsood came into light. Both claim to be the official handles of the Pakistani superstar. One account uses @AnwarMaqsood01, while the other one is @ANWARMAQS00D01. Interestingly, both the accounts joined Twitter in June 2020. Thus, it shows how easily one can impersonate the identity of people here.

Often known as trolls, these people come into discussion on every aspect of life. This creates a huge mess for the digital identity and security of many people. These trolls abuse, use derogatory remarks and share fake news items, images and videos to their followers. And all of this happens continuously.

Although, Pakistan has passed a bill for protection of its population from digital crimes. Yet, it matters only once a complaint is launched. Meanwhile, these fake accounts manage to do all the damage they want.

The global trend is also similar. One can find millions of fake accounts on social media channels. But, the trend in Pakistan is continuously increasing.

Number of Facebook and Twitter Accounts in Pakistan

There were 39 490 000 Facebook users in Pakistan in May 2020, which accounted for 18.8% of its entire population. Overall, the majority of them were men – 78.3%. People aged 25 to 34 were the largest user group (15 300 000). The highest difference between men and women occurs within people aged 25 to 34, where men lead by 8 700 000.

The total number of Twitter accounts in Pakistan is a meager 1.26 million. Even then, one can find a large number of trolls and fake accounts on Twitter.

Pakistan’s mobile internet users as a percentage of the population were recorded at 21% at end of January 2019. The report prepared by We Are Social and Hootsuite claims it.