Governments around the world must refrain from shutting down the internet during elections in order to sever, disenfranchise and deny their citizens their right to participatory democracy.
The global #KeepItOn coalition brings together more than 300 civil society organizations to monitor, document, and campaign against internet shutdowns around the world. Our data shows one fact: Authorities continue to shut down the internet and critical digital communication platforms during important national events such as elections, violating the human rights of millions of people in the process.
Election-related shutdowns prevent voters from accessing and sharing important information, making elections less fair, reliable, and transparent. They empower the incumbent government to control the narrative throughout the election cycle, undermining voters’ ability to make informed decisions, access polling resources, and fully shape the country’s future.
2024 is an unprecedented year for democracy. National elections will be held in at least 64 countries and are expected to determine the representation of almost half of the world’s population. Twenty-four of these countries have imposed government shutdowns in the past, with a combined population of 2.8 billion people, or about one-third of the world’s total population. The stakes for democracy and human rights are higher than ever this year, with billions at risk of shutdown during the 2024 election period alone.
That’s why the #KeepItOn coalition will fight to #KeepItOn in high-risk countries around the world during the 2024 election and beyond.
Notably, the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), a network of at least 38 countries, is collaborating in this effort, recently issuing a joint statement condemning election-time shutdowns and urging countries to stop this practice. He urged them to refrain from making this a normal situation.
Watch list
The 2024 #KeepItOn Election Watch List includes at least 23 countries that we have identified as being at high risk of internet shutdowns during election periods. These high-risk elections include countries with previous recorded internet shutdowns, or where current political or socio-economic conditions require authorities to restrict access to the internet during critical national periods such as elections or protests. Includes countries that may be blocked.
The #KeepItOn coalition actively monitors high-stakes elections and works with government officials, private sector actors, election monitoring organizations, journalists, and individuals to prevent internet shutdowns. Raise awareness of the risks and consequences of closures. Building resilience in the event of an internet shutdown.
Just because a country isn’t on this list doesn’t mean it’s not at risk of closure. Throughout the year, we may add additional countries to our watch list if the threat of a government shutdown increases or if postponed high-risk election dates are announced. It is important to remain vigilant and we are here to support civil society partners interested in organizing ahead of elections in their countries.
The #KeepItOn campaign continues to monitor and document internet shutdowns around the world and will keep a close eye on them, whether they occur before, during or immediately after an election.
Government publicly commits to #KeepItOn
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What you can do about election-related shutdowns
Combating internet shutdowns requires collaboration, solidarity, awareness-raising, and documentation of evidence when shutdowns occur. Under the 2024 Election Observation Campaign, Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition want to strengthen support against shutdowns to leverage democratic values around the world. We empower people and communities through awareness, capacity building and training, giving them the tools and resources to fight closure. The #KeepItOn coalition will continue to work with governments, private businesses, individuals, and stakeholders in countries approaching elections until authorities commit to maintaining internet access as a precondition for free, fair, and transparent elections. To do.
Given the growing influence of the Internet and digital communication platforms on democratic progress, we urge all stakeholders, including civil society activists, journalists, human rights defenders, governments, businesses, and individuals, to: We urge you to join forces with the #KeepItOn coalition and join the global movement. I oppose today’s closure.
Learn more about the #KeepItOn coalition and how you can help fight the shutdown.
Contact us to help fight shutdowns in your country
Learn about and prepare for election closures
Are you an election observer, activist, journalist, blogger, or someone interested in how shutdowns affect democratic processes? Want to know how to prepare for disruption? Read and share our Internet Shutdowns and Elections Handbook please. For more information about the campaign, please see the #KeepItOn FAQ.
Help us document the harms of election shutdowns
Storytelling can be a very powerful advocacy tool. If you’ve experienced an internet shutdown, consider sharing your experience as part of Access Now’s Shutdown Impact Stories project. Use this form (available in multiple languages) to help your story inform policy changes, challenge closure orders in court, and raise awareness about the threat and harm of closures around the world.
argue against election closure
We rely on a global network to detect and respond to Internet shutdowns. You can use the #KeepItOn hashtag to flag closure threats and support coalition action in the countries listed above.
