A record number of countries switched off access to internet services in response to political upheaval last year, causing “incalculable and persistent damage to people’s lives”, according to a new report.
The research by internet rights group Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition documents 187 shutdowns in 2022. These were introduced by governments in 35 countries – the highest number in a single year since the groups began documenting internet blackouts in 2016.
Most of the shutdowns were triggered by protests, conflict and allegations of human rights violations, with a smaller number coinciding with school exams and elections.
India is singled out as the “biggest offender” with at least 84 internet blackouts in 2022. Most of these happened in the disputed regions of Jammu and Kashmir, both long gripped by political instability, although the practice has spread to other regions of the country, according to the report. Read more…