Will internet shutdowns become the norm?
4 years, 1 month ago

Will internet shutdowns become the norm?

Al Jazeera  

Rights groups criticise increasing use of online disruptions to suppress dissent. Internet shutdowns are not new, but rights activists say governments are using the tactic more often to suppress dissent. Myanmar’s army has routinely cut online access since it overthrew the country’s democratically elected government in a February 1 coup. Twitter, meanwhile, is refusing the Indian government’s order to remove 1,100 accounts accused of encouraging violent protests against new farm laws. Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom Guests: Alp Toker – Founder and director of the internet monitoring organisation NetBlocks Marc Owen Jones – Assistant professor of digital humanities, Hamad Bin Khalifa University Matthew Bugher – Head of the Asia Programme at ARTICLE 19, an organisation that promotes freedom of expression and information

Internet Shutdowns  online  norm  using  violent  governments  users  internet  suppress  rights  organisation  shutdowns

History of this topic

India sole nation to curb Internet over communal unrest in 2023-24
3 weeks, 3 days ago

India sole nation to curb Internet over communal unrest in 2023-24

The Hindu  

Globally, there were 88 Internet shutdowns due to communal violence in 2023 and 2024 and all of them were in India. In fact, nearly 95% of all Internet shutdowns ordered by the state due to communal violence since 2018 have occurred in India, says a report by Access Now, a digital advocacy group. Chart 1 shows the number of Internet …

Blunt weapon: On Internet shutdowns
3 weeks, 6 days ago

Blunt weapon: On Internet shutdowns

The Hindu  

The number of Internet shutdowns in India was slightly lower in 2024 than in 2023, according to the Software Freedom Law Center, India’s annual report. A separate report by the web rights advocacy, Access Now, shows that India continues to lead globally in the number of government-ordered Internet shutdowns. A closer examination of the shutdowns imposed even over the last …

India ranks 2nd in number of internet shutdowns in 2024, top among democracies: Report
1 month ago

India ranks 2nd in number of internet shutdowns in 2024, top among democracies: Report

Live Mint  

India ranked second in terms of internet shutdowns in 2024, as Myanmar ranked first with just one more shutdown than its neighbour, according to a report by Access Now titled ‘Emboldened offenders, endangered communities: internet shutdowns in 2024.’ India has consistently ranked first since 2018. Myanmar imposed 85 internet shutdowns in 2024, followed by India with 84 shutdowns, while Pakistan …

Internet shutdowns highest in 2024 globally, India tops in government-ordered curbs; Indian Navy’s MARCOS join rescue operations at Telangana tunnel collapse site, and more in The Hindu’s top news of
1 month ago

Internet shutdowns highest in 2024 globally, India tops in government-ordered curbs; Indian Navy’s MARCOS join rescue operations at Telangana tunnel collapse site, and more in The Hindu’s top news of

The Hindu  

Number of Internet shutdowns highest in 2024 globally, India tops in govt-ordered curbs India did not impose the highest number of Internet shutdowns last year, with Myanmar seeing one additional disruption in 2024, according to a report by advocacy body Access Now. Telangana tunnel collapse: Indian Navy’s MARCOS join rescue operation Along with experts from L&T and IIT Madras, Marine …

Number of Internet shutdowns highest in 2024 globally, India tops in govt-ordered curbs
Trending News
1 month ago

Number of Internet shutdowns highest in 2024 globally, India tops in govt-ordered curbs

The Hindu  

India did not impose the highest number of Internet shutdowns last year, with Myanmar seeing one additional disruption in 2024, according to a report by advocacy body Access Now. However, the number of shutdowns imposed by the government in charge — the Union and State Governments here, and the military junta in Myanmar — is still higher in India. 296 …

India didn’t lead world in internet shutdowns in 2024: Access Now report
1 month ago

India didn’t lead world in internet shutdowns in 2024: Access Now report

Hindustan Times  

For the first time since 2018, India in 2024 did not lead the world in internet shutdown orders in a year. According to nonprofit digital rights advocacy group Access Now, Myanmar ordered the highest number of shutdowns at 85, edging out India that enforced 84 similar orders last year. The total number of internet shutdowns across the world have increased …

Conflicts trigger globe’s highest rate of internet shutdowns in 2024: NGO
1 month ago

Conflicts trigger globe’s highest rate of internet shutdowns in 2024: NGO

Al Jazeera  

Wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Myanmar among those spurring ‘digital violence’. There were 296 internet shutdowns documented across 54 countries last year, surpassing the 283 shutdowns in 39 countries in 2023, says the report by Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition, published on Monday. Conflict remained the leading cause of internet shutdowns for the second consecutive year, according to the …

Internet shut down 60 times in 2024, fewer than last year
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Internet shut down 60 times in 2024, fewer than last year

The Hindu  

India saw the fewest number of mobile internet shutdowns in eight years in 2024, rounding out a period where the country became the most frequent deployer in the world of the measure, according to data from the Internet Shutdowns Tracker maintained by the Software Freedom Law Centre, India. In the last month, shutdowns were imposed in Ambala, Haryana, as a …

No study done to calculate economic, social impact of internet shutdowns: Minister
7 months, 2 weeks ago

No study done to calculate economic, social impact of internet shutdowns: Minister

Hindustan Times  

The central government has not conducted any assessment to gauge the economic and social impacts of internet shutdowns in India, Union minister of state for communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani informed the Lok Sabha in a written response on Wednesday. In another response to a question by BJP MP Sudheer Gupta and Congress MP Chavan Vasantrao Balwantrao, the minister said that …

Bangladesh curfews, internet blackout batter economy amid quota protests
8 months ago

Bangladesh curfews, internet blackout batter economy amid quota protests

Al Jazeera  

The South Asian country is estimated to have lost $1.2bn in revenue over the past five days with its vital garment exports sector hit badly. The country’s top business owners asked Hasina on Monday to withdraw the curfew and restore internet service, which has been down for days as part of a complete communications blackout. “Because of the internet shutdown, …

Digital Darkness: India leads the world in internet shutdowns
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Digital Darkness: India leads the world in internet shutdowns

The Hindu  

Published : May 30, 2024 18:36 IST - 1 MIN READ For the past six years, India has led the world when it comes to Internet shutdowns. Over 500 shutdowns just in the last five years were recorded, according to a report released by Access Now, a global non-profit organisation focusing on digital civil rights. Titled “Shrinking Democracy, Growing Violence”, …

India leads in global internet shutdowns for 6th year in a row: Report
10 months, 1 week ago

India leads in global internet shutdowns for 6th year in a row: Report

Hindustan Times  

India logged 116 instances of internet shutdowns in 2023, accounting for 41% of the 283 globally, according to data analysed by Access Now, a not-for profit group that focusses on digital rights. Apart from blocking certain platforms across the country, 13 states in India saw local or statewide internet shutdowns. “Authorities have leveraged internet shutdowns as a blatant tool for …

Measuring internet freedom in India in the last 10 years
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Measuring internet freedom in India in the last 10 years

The Hindu  

In the Freedom Journal series, we look at how freedoms in the political, economic, digital and media landscape have evolved in the last decade. The Supreme Court of India, in the landmark Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India case, reiterated that internet shutdowns violate fundamental rights to freedom of expression, and that shutdowns which last indefinitely are unconstitutional. This, however, …

Russia’s ban on social media cost its economy £3.1bn last year
1 year, 2 months ago

Russia’s ban on social media cost its economy £3.1bn last year

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Russia’s ban on access to …

Should Internet shutdowns be used to maintain public order?
1 year, 8 months ago

Should Internet shutdowns be used to maintain public order?

The Hindu  

Over the past few years, the Indian government has increasingly been trying to control law and order by shutting access to the Internet, whether in Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur or Punjab. Radhika Jhalani: Since 2012, the number of shutdowns in India recorded by The Internet Shutdowns Tracker maintained by the Software Freedom Law Center stands at 738. Editorial | Overkill: …

Most internet shutdowns in last 3 years to curb protests: Report
1 year, 9 months ago

Most internet shutdowns in last 3 years to curb protests: Report

Hindustan Times  

Eighteen Indian states shut down the internet at least once in the three years between January 2020 to December 2022, the Internet Freedom Foundation and Human Rights Watch noted, highlighting that local authorities used the shutdowns to prevent or in response to protests in 57 instances, to prevent cheating in school examinations or in exams for government jobs in 37 …

Modi government’s internet blackouts hurt the poor and curbed job opportunities, HRW says
1 year, 9 months ago

Modi government’s internet blackouts hurt the poor and curbed job opportunities, HRW says

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy More than 100 internet shutdowns …

DC Edit | Manipur's Net shutdown is excessive and uncalled for
1 year, 9 months ago

DC Edit | Manipur's Net shutdown is excessive and uncalled for

Deccan Chronicle  

One of the easiest routes governments and security agencies take these days to curb popular unrest or disturbances is to shut down Internet services for an infinite period. While deciding a case against the Union government suspending the Internet in Jammu and Kashmir, the court had held that usage of the Internet is a fundamental right under Article 19 of …

Patralekha Chatterjee | Shutting down Internet: Govts need to do rethink
1 year, 10 months ago

Patralekha Chatterjee | Shutting down Internet: Govts need to do rethink

Deccan Chronicle  

Governments across the world are increasingly resorting to Internet shutdowns to stabilise potentially volatile situations, quell protests, and even to deal with problems like cheating in examinations. According to digital rights group Top10VPN, which researches the economic impacts of Internet shutdowns, in 2023 alone, 46 Internet shutdowns in 10 countries cost $761 million till date. In the Northeast itself, the …

How, and Why, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan Shut Down the Internet
1 year, 11 months ago

How, and Why, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan Shut Down the Internet

The Diplomat  

In 2022, most of the countries in Central Asia deliberately disrupted access to the internet in instances of public protests, other forms of open public criticism of government authority, and civil disobedience, citing national security and public safety concerns as justification. Compared to Kazakhstan, the Turkmen government has continuously pursued rigid and centralized control of the internet through a bundle …

India leads in Internet shutdowns, but lacks tool to assess impact - The Hindu
1 year, 11 months ago

India leads in Internet shutdowns, but lacks tool to assess impact - The Hindu

The Hindu  

Earlier this month, the Punjab government suspended mobile Internet and SMS services in the State for more than four days as it launched an operation to arrest pro-Khalistani preacher Amritpal Singh. Map 1 The map shows the State-wise instances of Internet shutdowns recorded between 2012 and March 2023, according to SFLC Chart appears incomplete? It came down heavily on “Internet …

In 2022, the world saw 187 internet shutdowns – 84 by India alone
2 years ago

In 2022, the world saw 187 internet shutdowns – 84 by India alone

Al Jazeera  

More than half of those shutdowns were recorded in Kashmir as India leads the Access Now list for a fifth consecutive year. These were the findings of a report released on Tuesday by digital rights watchdog Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition, which said governments are using internet shutdowns as “weapons of control and shields of impunity”. pic.twitter.com/gQzIUaYFo2 — Access …

Welcome to the Era of Internet Blackouts
2 years, 2 months ago

Welcome to the Era of Internet Blackouts

Wired  

The Iranian government’s latest attempts in recent months to stifle protests through internet blackouts, digital curfews, and content blocking have presented a particularly extreme example of how far regimes can go in restricting digital access. But a new report from the internet infrastructure company Cloudflare, released today, highlights the stunning global prevalence of connectivity disruptions and their increasing relevance to …

'The internet is dead in Iran': Protests targeted by shutdown
2 years, 5 months ago

'The internet is dead in Iran': Protests targeted by shutdown

The Hindu  

Saeed Souzangar, who runs a technology company in Tehran, is adept at navigating frequent internet disruptions to ensure his business can keep operating, but even he has been thrown by nationwide communications outages this month. Iran was one of the countries with the highest number of internet shutdowns last year, with authorities pulling the plug to clamp down on dissent, …

Internet shutdowns can harm democracies, says UN
2 years, 9 months ago

Internet shutdowns can harm democracies, says UN

India Today  

The United Nations has called on countries to stop imposing Internet shutdowns, warning of dire consequences. The UN rights office have said that if they keep imposing internet shutdowns or disruptions they will have to face deadly consequences. The report said the Internet shutdowns would impact the lives and human rights of millions of people. The UN rights chief Michelle …

Internet shutdowns bleeding businesses, hitting country's image
3 years, 3 months ago

Internet shutdowns bleeding businesses, hitting country's image

Business Standard  

On September 26 this year, over 10 districts of Rajasthan, including the capital city of Jaipur, faced a dawn to dusk internet shutdown. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology has recently noted that internet shutdowns, often imposed in an arbitrary manner, have led to huge economic losses, untold suffering for the public, and ‘severe reputational damage’ to …

Myanmar’s Internet Shutdown Is an Act of ‘Vast Self-Harm’
55 years, 2 months ago

Myanmar’s Internet Shutdown Is an Act of ‘Vast Self-Harm’

Wired  

From June 2019 until this February, 1.4 million people in Myanmar's Rakhine state dealt with the longest government-mandated internet shutdown in history, targeted at the Rohingya ethnic minority that makes up most of Rakhine's population. Over the past two months the military junta has continued to use the mechanisms for digital control put in place by Myanmar's previous regimes, escalating …

Why is Myanmar’s military blocking the internet?
4 years ago

Why is Myanmar’s military blocking the internet?

Al Jazeera  

Generals have banned Facebook and other popular platforms and imposed an internet blackout for the past 18 nights. Human rights groups and international business organisations came together to condemn the military government’s moves to legally restrict the internet via a draft Cybersecurity Bill and a series of amendments to the Electronic Transactions Law. “The draft cybersecurity law would hand a …

What Life Is Like Under Myanmar's Internet Shutdown
4 years ago

What Life Is Like Under Myanmar's Internet Shutdown

Wired  

Rumors of a coup were spreading before the military acted. Sophie*, an American software developer, was at home with her young son and her husband Aung*, a union worker and Myanmar national, when Myanmar’s military took control in the early hours of February 1. As the nation’s military leaders arrested Aung San Suu Kyi, president Win Myint, and other senior …

Digital siege: Internet cuts become favored tool of regimes
4 years, 1 month ago

Digital siege: Internet cuts become favored tool of regimes

Associated Press  

LONDON — When army generals in Myanmar staged a coup last week, they briefly cut internet access in an apparent attempt to stymie protests. Shutdowns can range from all-encompassing internet blackouts to blocking social media platforms or severely throttling internet speeds, the report said. It’s a familiar move by Myanmar’s government, which carried out one of the world’s longest internet …

Digital siege: Internet cuts become favored tool of regimes
4 years, 1 month ago

Digital siege: Internet cuts become favored tool of regimes

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Shutdowns can range from all-encompassing internet blackouts to blocking social media platforms or severely …

The cost of Internet shutdowns
4 years, 1 month ago

The cost of Internet shutdowns

The Hindu  

The movement led by farmers against the Central government’s agricultural laws has become a part of our national and international discourse. A principal concern among these has been the recurrent shutdowns, ordered by the Ministry of Home Affairs, of Internet services around many border areas of NCR since the unruly incidents on January 26. Many parts of Jammu and Kashmir …

Myanmar Military Shut Down Internet as Thousands Take to Streets Protesting Against Coup
4 years, 1 month ago

Myanmar Military Shut Down Internet as Thousands Take to Streets Protesting Against Coup

News 18  

Myanmar’s junta shut down the internet in the country on Saturday as thousands of people took to the streets of Yangon to denounce this week’s coup and demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Let’s fight until the last minute for our future.” Myanmar civil society organisations appealed to internet providers and mobile networks to challenge the …

India restricted Internet access more than any country, lost $2.8 billion: Global survey
4 years, 2 months ago

India restricted Internet access more than any country, lost $2.8 billion: Global survey

The Hindu  

India is the most economically impacted nation by Internet shutdowns in 2020, a recent global survey has found. The report, titled “Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns in 2020”, has been prepared by Top10VPN, a digital privacy group working to defend digital freedoms through independent reviews and research. According to the report, the total hours of Internet shutdown stood at 27,165, …

Internet shutdowns in 2020 costs India $2.8 billion
4 years, 2 months ago

Internet shutdowns in 2020 costs India $2.8 billion

The Hindu  

Internet shutdowns last year has cost India $2.8 billion, according to estimates by Top10VPN, a digital privacy research group. Top10VPN estimated that more than 1,600 hours of Internet blackouts and 7,000 hours of bandwidth throttling has cost the country about $2.8 billion, accounting to 70% of the total loss of $4 bn to the world economy. Top10VPN defined internet shutdown …

Regulating the Internet: A darogha is a total misfit
5 years, 1 month ago

Regulating the Internet: A darogha is a total misfit

Deccan Chronicle  

The darogha is an anomaly, a disrupter with a bamboo cane quite unsuited to regulate today’s information lifelines. More recently, the Islamic State openly used the Internet to lure, recruit agents, send messages and plan terrorist attacks in Europe and the United States and much more. The research firm estimated a total loss of $1.3 billion for India as a …

How internet shutdowns cost India more than $1.3 billion in 2019
5 years, 2 months ago

How internet shutdowns cost India more than $1.3 billion in 2019

Business Standard  

The Supreme Court of India on Friday ordered immediate review of internet suspension in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. A new study says that India lost over $1.3 billion in internet shutdowns across the country — lasting 4,196 hours in 2019 — making it the third-most economically affected country after Iraq and Sudan, among 21 countries where major …

Internet shutdowns cost the global economy $8 billion last year, report says
5 years, 2 months ago

Internet shutdowns cost the global economy $8 billion last year, report says

CNN  

Hong Kong CNN Business — More than 18,000 hours of internet shutdowns around the world caused by deliberate government action costmore than $8 billion in 2019, a new report estimates. “On the human rights side, these shutdowns clearly impact citizens’ freedom of expression and the right to information and may even result in an increase in violence.” New normal Internet …

Internet shutdowns due to CAA protests cost mobile operators around 24.5 million rupees in revenue every hour
5 years, 2 months ago

Internet shutdowns due to CAA protests cost mobile operators around 24.5 million rupees in revenue every hour

Firstpost  

Indian mobile operators are losing around 24.5 million rupees in revenue every hour they are forced to suspend internet services on government orders to control protests against a new citizenship law, a top lobby group said on Friday New Delhi: Indian mobile operators are losing around 24.5 million rupees in revenue every hour they are forced to suspend internet services …

China cites India's internet shutdowns to defend own clampdown, terms it 'standard practice in a state of emergency'
5 years, 3 months ago

China cites India's internet shutdowns to defend own clampdown, terms it 'standard practice in a state of emergency'

Firstpost  

China on Wednesday cited India as an example to defend the Xi Jinping government’s restrictions on usage of internet among its citizens in mainland China As Internet shutdown in Assam continues for the eighth day following violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and in several other places in India, China on Wednesday cited India as an example to defend …

Ethiopia internet shutdown: A potential return to old regime habits
5 years, 8 months ago

Ethiopia internet shutdown: A potential return to old regime habits

CNN  

CNN — Abel Wabella is no stranger to the dangers of pursuing digital activism in Ethiopia. Atnaf Brhane, a fellow co-founder of Zone9, said that the internet shutdowns had created “a bad record for a ‘reformist’ leader.” CNN made several attempts to reach the Ethiopian government but did not get a response. As, the executive director of the Association for …

Back Story: An increasingly popular authoritarian tool: Shutting down the internet
5 years, 8 months ago

Back Story: An increasingly popular authoritarian tool: Shutting down the internet

LA Times  

Two women ride past an ad for a cellphone company in Sittwe, Myanmar. The Myanmar government last week suspended cellphone internet service in eight townships in Rakhine and one in neighboring Chin state where the army is battling insurgents. “The conflict in the Rakhine is serious and this advantages the military in their response against the Arakan Army,” said Bridget …

Myanmar shuts down internet in conflict areas as UN expert warns of potential abuses
5 years, 9 months ago

Myanmar shuts down internet in conflict areas as UN expert warns of potential abuses

CNN  

CNN — A top United Nations official has warned of “serious implications for human rights” in parts of Myanmar after the government shut down mobile data networks. According to Telenor, a Norwegian telecoms firm which operates mobile internet services in Myanmar, on June 20 all mobile phone operators were ordered to “temporarily stop mobile internet traffic in nine townships in …

Outrage over Ethiopia’s continuing internet blackout
5 years, 9 months ago

Outrage over Ethiopia’s continuing internet blackout

Al Jazeera  

NetBlocks, NGO monitoring internet censorship, estimates Ethiopians lose at least $4.5m each day the internet is cut. An internet shutdown has been in force across Ethiopia since Saturday, after a group of soldiers staged a failed coup in Amhara state, the birthplace of many of Ethiopia’s emperors as well as its national language, Amharic. “After a series of unexplained internet …

Internet shutdowns in India only fuel the fires of violence
5 years, 10 months ago

Internet shutdowns in India only fuel the fires of violence

Hindustan Times  

The social media shutdown that followed the recent terror attacks in Sri Lanka was no isolated incident. Nearly half of the estimated 306 shutdowns executed in India over the last seven years occurred in 2018, amid the surge of lynchings attributed to the circulation of violent content on WhatsApp. The Patidar agitation in Gujarat and the Jat reservation protests in …

AP Explains: 2019 a busy year for African internet shutdowns
6 years, 2 months ago

AP Explains: 2019 a busy year for African internet shutdowns

Associated Press  

JOHANNESBURG — 2019 is already a busy year for internet shutdowns in Africa, with governments ordering cutoffs as soon as a crisis appears. “It is not even the second month of the new year and we have had significant internet shutdowns in four African countries,” said Berhan Taye, who leads the #KeepItOn campaign for global digital rights group Access Now. …

Internet shutdowns aren’t just Africa’s problem. They’re happening worldwide
6 years, 2 months ago

Internet shutdowns aren’t just Africa’s problem. They’re happening worldwide

CNN  

Editor’s Note: James Griffiths is a senior producer for CNN International and author of “The Great Firewall of China: How to Build and Control an Alternative Version of the Internet.” Hong Kong CNN — When Hong Kong police fired tear gas at peaceful pro-democracy protesters in 2014, the news moved swiftly through social media. Connection cut After protests broke out …

Congo: Internet shutdown shows how Chinese censorship tactics are spreading
6 years, 2 months ago

Congo: Internet shutdown shows how Chinese censorship tactics are spreading

CNN  

Editor’s Note: James Griffiths is a Senior Producer for CNN International and author of “The Great Firewall of China: How to Build and Control an Alternative Version of the Internet.” CNN — As citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo pointlessly refresh their web browsers this week, they may be getting a preview of just what Chinese-crafted cyberspace rules …

Reports of global internet shutdown false, there will be minimum impact, says top cyber security official
6 years, 5 months ago

Reports of global internet shutdown false, there will be minimum impact, says top cyber security official

India TV News  

A top government cyber security official on Friday rejected report about internet shutdown in India. National Cyber Security coordinator Gulshan Rai, said that there will not be any internet shutdown in India. Earlier, news agency ANI reported that Internet users across the globe may experience widespread network failures as the key domain servers are likely to undergo routine maintenance for …

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