According to a report by US-based advocacy group Access Now, published on Tuesday, India shut down the internet 84 times, the highest worldwide for five years in a row. The digital rights group called India “the biggest offender” of digital rights violations.
Overview
The report said that India was a “unique case” that saw a spike in shutdowns in 2022 after a minor drop in internet restrictions during the peak of COVID-19 in 2020. It expressed concerns that internet shutdown reports globally last year surged over the pre-pandemic levels.
We documented 187 #InternetShutdowns across 35 countries — the highest number of countries ever recorded by the #KeepItOn coalition in a single year. pic.twitter.com/gQzIUaYFo2
— Access Now (@accessnow) February 28, 2023
The results of the report found that Internet restrictions across the world since 2016 surged to well over 1000.
The digital rights advocacy group noted that New Delhi accounts for 58% of all global internet shutdowns since it started tracking them in 2016.
While the study highlighted that India reported less than 100 shutdowns for the first time since 2017, the group did not believe the authorities to be “on the path towards positive, sustained change” to protect digital rights. Instead, the group said the drop likely resulted from legal obstacles, fewer demonstrations, and increased restrictions on dissent.
Political Instability Triggers Restrictions
Modi digital authoritarianism!
— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) February 28, 2023
Internet shutdowns are becoming common in India with approximately 58% of all shutdowns since 2016. India beats Ukraine and is the only G20 country to impose a shutdown more than twice. #InternetShutdown #India #G20https://t.co/o5KtSUXpw9
The Access Now report highlighted that internet shutdowns were instigated by “protests, active conflict, examinations, elections, political instability, and other high-profile national events.” It further said that the authorities continue to use the “same tired justifications” to keep “people in the dark” and “silence people.” Specific communities are targeted through “complete blackouts, mobile shutdowns, and platform blocking,” the report stressed.
The study found that of the 84 blockages, Indian authorities restricted internet access in Jammu and Kashmir at least 49 times, which included 16 three-day-long blocks in January and February. Nevertheless, the region accounted for 58% of internet shutdowns in 2022, compared to 80% in 2021.
Internet Shutdowns Across the Globe
Arbitrary internet shutdowns have no place in a democratic society & we are grateful for the Standing Committee’s recommendations.
— Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) (@internetfreedom) February 28, 2023
We now urge @DoT_India & @PIBHomeAffairs to act on these recommendations & move toward a progressive regime for regulating internet shutdowns. 5/5
While India accounted for 45% of the 187 internet shutdowns globally in 2022, the remaining restrictions were reported across 34 countries worldwide. The number of such blockages is significantly higher than in 2019, which stood at 92 outside India.
Nine countries – Bangladesh, India, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Myanmar, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine – imposed at least four shutdowns in 2022. In 2019, the number of countries that restricted access to the internet at least four times stood at seven, lower than last year’s count.
Ukraine featured second in the list with 22 shutdowns by the Russian military. In third place, Iran imposed 18 shutdowns, significantly higher than its yearly count. The surge is a result of the nationwide women’s rights protests, the report said.
Access Now noted that any form of internet blockage violates fundamental rights, particularly highlighting that most of the 2022 shutdowns sought to provide “cover for perpetrators to commit human rights abuses with impunity.” The report noted 133 of the 187 lockdowns were ordered “alongside some form of violence.”