The measures have been widely criticized as being too drastic, stifling freedom of expression and infringing on people’s daily lives, especially when taken to silence dissent.
The Egyptian revolution of 2011 and the failed Turkish military coup of 2016 are prime examples of internet shutdowns carried out in this manner. In India, which is the country most likely to block internet access, shutdowns have been concentrated in the states of Kashmir and Rajasthan in the past, and have been carried out during protests (or pre-emptively if protests are anticipated). Not only that, but the closure also took place during the exam.
In 2023, ethnic tensions in Manipur led to most targeted shutdowns adopted by the government.
All internet shutdowns and shutdowns in India in 2023 affected approximately 59 million people for a total of approximately 8,000 hours. This adds up to the most in the world, according to Top10VPN.
In Ethiopia, Myanmar and Iran, users have been blocked from the internet for nearly as long due to dissent, protests and, at one point, a crackdown on the Orthodox Church.
Around the world, internet shutdowns and intentional slowdowns are once again common. Given how important the Internet is in daily life, restricting access to the Internet can have financial implications.
In Russia, Ethiopia, and Myanmar, the sheer number of closures and their duration have been extremely expensive. Top10VPN found that approximately 1,350 hours of intentional internet downtime and targeted blocking cost the Russian economy $4 billion in 2023.
You can find more infographics on Statista, where this article was first published.
