India ordered most internet shutdowns in 2020: Report

NEW YORK: India led the world last year in internet shutdowns that affected hundreds of millions of people, as governments cracked down on political rivals and tried to suppress protests.

At least 155 internet shutdowns in 2020 disrupted access for people in 29 countries, according to a report on Wednesday from digital rights group Access Now.

That included 28 full internet blackouts that plunged people and in some cases entire cities, into “digital darkness”, the report said. Most recorded incidents took place in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.

“The pandemic has forced offline activities online. So when governments intentionally disrupt internet access it denies people the opportunities to continue their education, businesses, and access life-saving information about the pandemic,” said Access Now campaigner Felicia Anthonio.

The digital rights campaign says governments in 2020 increasingly used shutdowns in response to ongoing violence, especially in conflict zones. Other trends in recent years include efforts to hide political instability, thwart protests and suppress dissent, it said.

India restricts access more than any other country, accounting for the lion’s share in 2020 with at least 109 disruptions, according to the report. The next highest was Yemen with six shutdowns. Authorities cut off access to high-speed internet in recent years, including for protests over a controversial citizenship law and after revoking the special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Most recently, internet was curbed as tens of thousands of farmers protesting against three central agriculture laws blocked highways near Capital Delhi.

The Supreme Court had ruled in January that indefinite internet shutdowns in Kashmir were illegal following a legal challenge from civil society groups. The government has argued shutdowns were necessary to prevent disorder, curb fake news and hate speech. Last month, the Jammu and Kashmir administration issued an order allowing the restoration of high-speed mobile internet services in the region.

Separately, authorities in Ethiopia imposed at least four full outages, the report said. A mobile network disruption in Myanmar’s Rakhine and Chin states lasted 19 months.

Disruptions overall fell last year to 155 from 213 in 2019, reversing recent trends. But major disruptions in 2020 lasted 49% longer compared with the year before, according to digital privacy and security research group Top10VPN.