Thread by @NetShutdowns

Government-run internet outages are picking up pace around the world. In 2021, there were 182 shutdowns in 34 countries. #India, largely Jammu and Kashmir, plunged into digital darkness more times than any other country last year.

#LetTheNetWork

theguardian.com/technology/202…

The increasing use of the kill switch underlines a deepening global trend towards digital authoritarianism, as governments use access to the internet as a weapon against their own people. #InternetShutdowns have also become a modern canary in the coal mine.

#KeepItOn

India leads total shutdowns globally. In 2021, the world’s largest democracy shut off its internet 106 times – more than the rest of the world combined. Hardest-hit was the region of Jammu and Kashmir, which was subject to 85 shutdowns.

#Kashmir

theguardian.com/world/2020/jan…

India’s high level of shutdowns highlights a concerning trend, says David Kaye, a law professor at the University of California Irvine and a former UN special rapporteur for freedom of expression.

#InternetShutdowns #LetTheNetWork #KeepItOn

#InternetShutdowns are not just used by governments facing civil unrest. Every year millions of internet users from Sudan to Syria, Jordan to India also lose internet access during exam season as governments pull the plug in a bid to avoid cheating.

#LetTheNetwork

@SFLCin had filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court of India in April 2022 challenging various Indian State governments imposing arbitrary internet shutdowns during examinations.
#InternetShutdowns #KeepItOn #SupremeCourt #DigitalDarkness

https://twitter.com/SFLCin/status/1564183220794507264?s=20&t=czMhJ7XmxQz3wtH5GtZ0yQ

@SFLCin has been tracking the instances of internet suspensions in India since 2012 at internetshutdowns.in
To help us continue resisting #InternetShutdowns in India, support us by making a donation at sflc.in/donate

#DigitalRights #Internet #LetTheNetWork