Context:

India experienced 84 internet shutdowns in 2024, the highest among democratic nations, according to a report by digital rights organization Access Now. This marks a decrease from 116 shutdowns in 2023, but still represents the largest number of disruptions ordered in any democratic country that year. Myanmar, under military rule, surpassed India with 85 shutdowns.

Reasons behind Shutdowns:

The report reveals that 41 of the shutdowns were linked to protests, while 23 were related to communal violence. Additionally, five shutdowns were implemented during government job placement examinations. Authorities in at least 16 Indian states and Union Territories imposed these shutdowns, with Manipur, Haryana, and Jammu & Kashmir seeing the highest number of disruptions.

Impacts on India's Global Leadership

• Access Now has expressed concern that such frequent internet shutdowns undermine India’s global leadership ambitions, particularly in areas like digital governance and artificial intelligence.
• It also criticized the current telecommunications laws, which continue to allow internet shutdowns without sufficient oversight, highlighting the lack of safeguards in the revamped Telecommunications Act 2023 and Telecom Suspension Rules 2024. These laws retain provisions from the colonial-era Telegraph Act of 1885 but lack an independent mechanism for reviewing shutdown orders.

Global Context of Internet Shutdowns

• In total, there were over 296 internet shutdowns across 54 countries in 2024, with Asia Pacific leading with 202 disruptions. Myanmar, India, and Pakistan together accounted for more than 64% of the global shutdowns. Internet blackouts are often triggered by protests, conflicts, elections, or attempts to cover up human rights violations, raising concerns about the growing trend of digital authoritarianism in the region.

Top  countries with the most number of internet shutdowns in 2024:

-         Myanmar: 85 internet shutdowns

-         India: 84 internet shutdowns

-         Pakistan: 21 internet shutdowns

-         Russia: 13 internet shutdowns

Alongside internet shutdowns, governments also increased the blocking of specific online platforms. In 2024, 71 platforms were blocked in 35 countries, an increase from 53 platforms in 25 countries in 2023. Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) was blocked 24 times in 14 countries, followed by TikTok (10 times) and Signal (10 times).

Way forward: 

The report advocates for India to repeal laws that violate digital rights and urges the government to make 2025 a year free from internet shutdowns. The continued use of such drastic measures, Access Now argues, destabilizes societies, hampers digital progress, and shields authorities from accountability.