India tops list in Internet shutdown

Hyderabad: India has the highest number of instances of internet shutdowns in the world. With profanity, hate and rumour-mongering increasing on the internet, officials have been ordering internet shutdowns to contain law and order. India has witnessed 52 shutdowns so far this year against 70 last year according to the Software Freedom Law Centre, a not-for-profit organization. The graphic violence on social media is not being curtailed even if Facebook and Twitter make futile attempts to stop spreading of misinformation, as messages on individual apps cannot be curtailed. While the internet is a public service and shutdowns are done when necessary, an activist points that shutdowns are increasing every year, which is not a good trend.