Global internet shutdowns are increasing as we speak, according to Access Now's latest report. It reveals there were 187 internet shutdowns in 35 countries in the year 2022. These shutdowns were not because someone chopped the internet cables, but because governments and other actors decided to limit access.
The country leading the list of most internet shutdowns is India which single-handedly faced 84 disruptions in 2022. The next countries in the line are Ukraine (22) and Iran (18) which also have double-digit shutdowns. The report notes that all shutdowns in Ukraine were "imposed by Russia during its invasion."
As per the data, the number of shutdowns is again on the rise after a considerable dip recorded during the pandemic year. If we talk about the reasons, while protests, active conflicts, and elections accounted for a major chunk, there were eight shutdowns in six countries "to prevent exam cheating."
The report also says that 33 of 35 nations that imposed shutdowns are repeat offenders since 2016. Parts of Myanmar have witnessed the longest ongoing shutdown of 540 days by March 2023. A new entrant on this list is Armenia which has had its first recorded shutdown. What's more shocking is "people in Tigray, Ethiopia had endured 2+ years of full communications blackout, and many remain disconnected," the report reads.
Speaking of India, the South Asian nation has had the most recorded shutdowns globally for five consecutive years. However, the count fell to 84 in 2022 from 107 in 2021. Here, a big number of shutdowns happened in the Jammu and Kashmir region which saw at least 49 internet disruptions.
The report also throws some light on social media disruptions revealing Twitter and Facebook faced the most blackouts among popular platforms. Each of them was blocked 13 times in 11 and 12 countries respectively.
Source: Access Now
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