India Imposed 84 Internet Shutdowns in 2024: Highest Among Democracies
India has the highest number of internet shutdowns among democratic countries, with 84 in 2024. But overall, Myanmar, where the military dictatorship enforced 85 blackouts, outperformed it.
Ankush Pandey
In Short
- In 2024, India saw 84 internet outages.
- Of these, twenty-three were imposed because of intercommunal violence, and forty-one were connected to protests.
- Myanmar was the world's worst offender, with the military junta enforcing 85 blackouts.
In 2024, governments in 54 countries implemented an unprecedented 296 internet shutdowns, breaking the previous record for digital restrictions, according to a report by the digital rights group Access Now. In comparison, there were 283 shutdowns in 39 countries in 2023, which was a significant increase. India has been at the top of the global list for six years running.
In 2024, it had the most internet shutdowns of any democratic country, with 84. Myanmar, the world's worst offender, overtook it, though, with 85 blackouts enforced by the military dictatorship. Russia conducted 19 shutdowns, including seven in Ukraine as part of its ongoing invasion, while Pakistan followed with 21 shutdowns, the most ever in the nation's history.
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The report released on Monday said, "India imposed 84 in 2024, the most disruptions ordered in a democracy that year, despite a modest decrease in shutdowns from 2023 [116 internet shutdowns]." According to the data, 23 shutdowns in India were enforced as a result of intercommunal violence, while 41 shutdowns were connected to protests. Five shutdowns were also implemented during government job placement exams.
At least one internet shutdown occurred in at least 16 Indian states and Union Territories. With 21 shutdowns, Manipur had the most in the nation, followed by Haryana (12) and Jammu & Kashmir (12).
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Experts contend that the frequent interruptions jeopardise India's ambitions to lead the world in artificial intelligence and digital governance.
The recently enacted Telecommunications Act 2023 and the Telecom Suspension Rules 2024 in India, which preserve colonial-era clauses from the Telegraph Act of 1885, were also criticised in the report. Opponents contend that government representatives make the final decision because the legislation lacks independent oversight procedures to examine shutdown orders.
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In 2024, 103 internet shutdowns were reported in 11 countries as a result of war and violence, making conflict the primary cause of shutdowns worldwide. Election-related shutdowns (12), exams (16), and protests (74 shutdowns) were other significant causes. Authorities in a number of nations were also discovered to have targeted civilians and obstructed humanitarian aid during shutdowns in order to hide violations of human rights.
A rise in platform-specific blocks was also noted in the report, with 71 occurrences reported across 35 countries. Elon Musk's social networking site X was the most blocked site in the world, with 24 bans in 14 different countries. Blocks on TikTok and Signal increased significantly as well in comparison to the prior year.
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Civil society efforts to stop internet shutdowns have increased along with their prevalence. The #KeepItOn coalition opposed shutdowns during protests and exams and kept an eye on 25 countries' high-risk elections. Positive changes have also resulted from advocacy efforts; for example, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights adopted a resolution urging member states to refrain from shutting down their internet during elections. Additionally, as part of the Pact for the Future and Global Digital Compact, world leaders pledged to avoid internet shutdowns at the 2024 UN Summit of the Future.
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