Since 2015, there have been both partial and total Internet outages affecting almost 5.7 billion individuals in 76 different countries. Additionally, 1.89 billion more individuals were harmed by Internet outages in the first half of 2018 than in the second half of 2021, despite a 14% drop in occurrences.
This information was obtained from Surfshark’s Internet shutdown tracker, which also showed that, in terms of population, Africa has been among the regions most severely impacted by Internet censorship. Eight out of ten Africans, according to the report, have experienced social media and Internet outages.
In the research, cybersecurity firm Surfshark and Internet watchdog Netblocks observed that authoritarian governments throughout the world are increasingly using social media restrictions and Internet outages to uphold their power. They utilize it to obstruct organizational activities and stop the spread of information.
Recall that in June of last year, Nigeria’s administration of President Muhammadu Buhari outlawed the use of Twitter. The prohibition cost the economy N546.5 billion throughout its 222-day duration. On January 12, 2022, the president lifted the ban following a substantial promise from Twitter management that included opening a permanent office in Nigeria.
Following the emergence of political rallies, the government of Sierra Leone last week cut off Internet access throughout the nation.
While condemning the shutdown, Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a social enterprise that promotes citizens’ digital rights, noted that these shutdowns are in violation of Chapter Three of Sierra Leone’s Constitution, which guarantees its citizens’ rights to freedom of conscience, expression, assembly, and association.
In addition, according to Surfshark, social media platforms were targeted three times in Africa, once in Europe, and once each in Asia and South America of the 72 occurrences of Internet disruption in 2022.
Since 2015, there have been 88 instances of Internet censorship in Africa, most of which were related to unrest and demonstrations.
Surfshark recorded 66 Internet blackouts in the first half of 2022 in six nations and territories: Burkina Faso, India, Jammu & Kashmir, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and Sudan. Local Internet access was cut off in three nations and territories (India, the Jammu and Kashmir region, and Pakistan). Burkina Faso, Kazakhstan, and Sudan, in contrast, decided to reduce Internet access nationally despite the fact that doing so would have the most negative effects on their economies.
According to the report, 81% of Internet shutdown incidents (61 occurrences) occurred in India and the Jammu and Kashmir region, twice in Burkina Faso, and only once in the remaining impacted nations. Asia has thus been seen as the continent that has been subject to the most global censorship during the last six months.
Internet restriction cases worldwide reduced by 14% in the first half of this year, from 84 in 2021’H2 to 72, according to the cybersecurity firm.
Ten countries reported internet outages and restrictions, with India and the Jammu and Kashmir region accounting for 85% of them, making Asia the continent with the most outages.
In terms of social media disruptions over a seven-year period, the continent also takes the lead.
Social media sites were targeted six times in 2022 out of 72 instances of Internet disruption: twice in Europe and Africa, once in Asia, and once in South America. Despite a drop in incidents, there were 1.89 billion more citizens affected by new Internet interruptions in 2022’H1 than there were in 2021’H2.
Agneska Sablovskaja, the lead researcher at Surfshark, stated: “We notice a favorable trend of internet restriction instances decreasing this half of the year. However, a concerningly large number of nations continue to employ Internet outages as a tool to quell dissent among their populace. When the Internet is slowed down or shut down entirely, the majority of a country’s population are left without most of their communication tools.
According to Alp Toker, Chief Executive Officer of NetBlocks, “the minor decline in recorded country-scale Internet shutdowns in early 2022 followed a period of unparalleled reliance on the Internet during the pandemic. The global fall in liberties, however, shows no signs of stopping, thus it is crucial to monitor and promote human rights.
