India ranked second in terms of internet shutdowns in 2024, as Myanmar ranked first with just one more shutdown than its neighbour, according to a report by Access Now titled ‘Emboldened offenders, endangered communities: internet shutdowns in 2024.’
India has consistently ranked first since 2018. Myanmar imposed 85 internet shutdowns in 2024, followed by India with 84 shutdowns, while Pakistan witnessed 21 blackouts. Russia imposed 19 shutdowns, including seven in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, among democracies across the globe, India ranks first. “For the first time since 2018, India dropped from first to second place in the global shame list of offenders, although authorities there still imposed no fewer than 84 shutdowns — the most for a democracy,” the report said.
“At the very top of the list was Myanmar, where at least six perpetrators, led predominantly by the military regime, imposed 85 shutdowns on a population that has continued bravely resisting an increasingly oppressive dictatorship four years after the junta seized power in a violent coup,” it added.
In India, internet shutdowns decreased from 113 in 2023 to 84 in 2024. Shutdowns were imposed in 16 states and union territories, where states such as Manipur (21), Haryana (12), and Jammu & Kashmir (12) topped the list of offenders in India. Out of the 84 internet shutdowns, 41 were due to protests, and 23 were related to communal violence.
In 2024, there were 296 shutdowns in 54 countries, a rise from the previous 2023 record of 283 shutdowns in 39 countries, which is a 35% increase in the number of countries where shutdowns occurred.
In 2022, there were 40 internet shutdowns across the globe, with seven countries joining the list for the first time. As the year ended, 47 active shutdowns continued into 2025, 35 of which had already been ongoing for more than a year.
(By arrangement with livemint.com)