Governments in 35 countries have set a new record by shutting down the internet at least 185 times in 2022 alone, according to a new study. New York-based monitoring group Access Now said in a report that internet outages are not only increasing rapidly, but are also lasting longer and are often targeted at the public when they are needed most.
Access Now launched the Keep It On campaign in 2016 and found that almost half of the blackouts recorded last year occurred in India. Most of the blackouts have occurred during humanitarian crises, mass protests, active conflicts, elections and war, and India reportedly shut down the internet 84 times last year. This made it the #1 country to censor internet access for the 5th year in a row.
People in Tigray, Ethiopia have suffered a complete communications blackout for over 2 years, making it the longest active shutdown, while some areas in Myanmar continue to struggle with more than 500 days of outage.
“For years, authorities have ordered shutdowns for the same reasons, on the same grounds,” he wrote in the Access Now report. “For long periods, those in power used the shutdowns to silence people, often targeting specific communities through full-blown blackouts, mobile shutdowns, and platform blockings. “
The report shows that governments not only use internet blackouts to silence protesters or curb alleged misinformation, but also serve as a cover for countries whose government, military and police commit war crimes and cover up violent human rights abuses such as murder, torture or rape. .
Internet outage in Russia 22 times
Russia reportedly cut internet access 22 times during its invasion of Ukraine, using the blackouts to destroy telecommunications infrastructure and conduct cyber attacks, while Iran used the blackouts to combat protests after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was killed by the country’s “morality police”.
While the rate of internet outages is increasing at an unprecedented rate, Access Now says it’s making progress as it works with the United Nations to end global blackouts. The group’s report includes “globally successful response to electoral cuts, including mobilizing against cuts during the Kenyan general election, making progress towards ending the 2-year cutout in Ethiopia, and working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) organization.” He says he is mobilized in this way.
The UN prepared a similar report last year, included similar findings in Access Now, and revealed the seriousness of human rights violations. “The costs on employment, education, health and political participation almost always exceed the expected benefits. When a government shuts down the internet, both people and economies suffer,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a press release last year.
Bachelet continued: “As this report makes clear, there is a need for rapid action to end internet outages, including by reporting more prominently their impact, showing greater transparency to the companies involved, and enabling us all to defend connectivity against self-imposed outages. action is needed.”
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