The internet revolutionised democracy,
by giving every phone, every computer, a more
equal chance to speak and share information.
And during any big event whether in celebration or in a crisis, many of us look to social
media as our primary source of news.
However, this network, which was built to bring us closer together, is now under threat….
Human rights groups say turning off the internet is now becoming a defining tool of government
repression around the world.
Using the very latest data, this video will reveal the true scale of the internet black
outs around the world. And show how and when the plug is pulled.
Take a look at this map, as we move through 2019, watch as the internet is turned off
more than 200 times, in more than 30 countries.
Sometimes an entire nation will be switched off, but often it’s localised to a city
or region.
And our analysis shows these blackouts often occur during times of political instability
or civil unrest.
Governments often say it’s to help ensure public safety and stop the spread of fake
news.
But critics say the shutdowns stifle the flow of information online and crack down on any
potential descent offline.
The data shows that in 2019 the internet was switched off during more than 60 protests
and during a dozen elections.
So just how do governments shutdown the internet?
When authorities order a “blackout”, internet service providers are told to pull the plug
on all social platforms such as Whatsapp, Twitter and Telegram.
Last year, the central African nation of Chad endured one of the longest shutdowns on record,
after the President ordered a nationwide blackout for more than 15 months.
Much harder to monitor though, is when governments ‘throttle’ the connection
By slowing it down from 3, 4, or 5G down to 2G
It becomes impossible to share videos or live stream.
Last May, the President of Tajikistan admitted to throttling all Google platforms, as well
as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, saying they were “vulnerable to terrorist activity”.
However, nowhere experiences more shutdowns than India. In 2019, Indians experienced over
100 blackouts.
Hardest hit by far, was Kashmir, where mobile internet services were suspended for more
than half of the year.
With millions of people affected, forced off social media, deprived of news and restricted
in their means to contact their loved ones, Kashmiris say the shutdown has been devastating.
India says the move was necessary to maintain law and order
but economically it has been crippling, with many local businesses being run into the ground.
Around the world, the most common reason for governments to shut down the internet is in
the interest of public safety. Then they pull the plug.
So where is this all heading?
What happened in Iran last year, points to a trend that could change the future of the
internet.
Iran, along with Russia and Cuba, are the only countries in the world that are currently
testing their own national “internal internet”.
Under such a setup, Iranian government says their systems would be protected from foreign attacks
But critics say it would cut the country off from the rest of the world
Last November, amid flash demonstrations over rising fuel costs, Iran did reportedly did
a trial run of its national “intranet”.
It backfired.
Millions of people were plunged into an information blackout and violence erupted. Hundreds of
civilians lost their lives.
With state-ordered shutdowns on the rise, the internet, a revolution which was built
to bring us closer together is under threat.