New Delhi: For the first time since 2018, India was not the country with the highest number of internet shutdowns in a year. According to a report by digital rights advocacy group Access Now, Myanmar led the world in 2024 with 85 shutdowns, just surpassing India, which recorded 84.
The global trend, however, saw an increase in shutdowns overall. The report stated that the number of disruptions grew from 283 shutdowns across 39 countries in 2023 to 296 shutdowns in 54 countries in 2024.
“Following closely behind was India with 84 shutdowns, which for the first time since 2018 was not the leading offender but still imposed an unacceptably high number of shutdowns as the world’s largest democracy,” the Access Now report noted.
Authorities in India shut down internet services for a range of reasons, including protests, communal violence, election security, and even to prevent cheating in exams. The report found that 41 shutdowns were linked to protests, while 23 were tied to communal unrest. Manipur, which has been grappling with ethnic tensions, recorded the highest number of shutdowns at 21, followed by Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, both with 12 each. In total, 16 states and union territories were affected.
Pakistan ranked third on the list with 21 shutdowns, followed by Russia with 13, Ukraine with 7, Palestine with 6, and Bangladesh with 5. Pakistan’s measures included blocking access to platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Signal, and Bluesky, along with a nationwide mobile shutdown on February 8, the day of its general elections.
The report also highlighted the prevalence of “cross-border shutdowns,” where one country’s actions led to disruptions in another. Russia was recorded as the most frequent perpetrator, with seven instances of shutdowns affecting Ukraine. These included a cyberattack on Ukrainian internet providers and missile strikes on energy infrastructure that resulted in widespread connectivity failures. Similarly, Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza led to six documented instances of internet shutdowns in Palestine. Myanmar also faced disruptions from external sources, as Thai authorities and Chinese providers cut off phone and internet services, affecting local residents. “These actions were intended to curb cybercrime but ended up disconnecting vulnerable populations, including those trafficked into scam call centres,” the report explained.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region saw 41 shutdowns across 17 countries in 2024, a decline from 77 in 2023. However, the number of affected countries rose from 15 to 17. Governments in 10 MENA nations also imposed 18 platform blocks as a means of information control.