Internet Shutdowns: Increasingly common and increasingly hard to detect

In 2021, more than 182 internet shutdowns took place around the world. This was an increase of just over seventeen percent, up from 155 in 2020. After the recent US-EU Trade and Technology Council meeting a statement was released stating “the European Union and the United States reiterate our alarm at the increasingly entrenched practice of government-imposed Internet shutdowns”.

India had the highest number of targeted shutdowns in 2021. More than 100 targeted shutdowns took place throughout the country. Myanmar, Sudan, and Iran had the next highest number of shutdowns respectively. The Carnegie centre underlines five main reasons for shutdowns: “mass demonstrations, military operations, and coups elections, communal violence and religious holidays, and school exams”.

Internet shutdowns, besides shutting down avenues of communication, cause widespread disruptions to essential services. Shutdowns in India have seen disruptions to banking and education among others.

There are two key methods of implementation for internet shutdowns:

The first and currently most common implementation method is to instate a complete shutdown of internet servers in a region or country.

This process has been seen most recently in Iran, following widespread protests throughout the country after the death of Jhina (Mahsa) Amini. Several regions of the country lost all internet access for periods of time during heavy protests — in one case, for an entire day. In Myanmar, complete internet shutdowns throughout the country continued for days during the military coup d’état in 2021.

The second and increasingly used method is to implement a blockage of specific sections of internet services in a region or country.

In recent months, Russia has avoided implementing complete internet shutdowns in favour of new tools to block dissident media networks and internet sites in the country. These new tools, which can block different sections of the internet without being detected instantly, offer new ways for authorities to block access to the internet. A similar incident was reported in Egypt in 2016 when authorities shut down Facebook’s Free Basics service in a highly targeted shutdown.

Overarching concerns

As shutdowns are expected to increase and become more targeted according to an OHCHR report, authorities and internet rights groups are working on entrenching protective measures against them into law. A United Nations General Assembly report on internet shutdowns recommended states and companies agree to ensure internet access. However, commitments to internet freedom by the UN and other organisations will not be useful if governments worldwide continue to restrict access. Indeed, analysts at Censored Planet at the University of Michigan, warn that it is possible the Russian Government will export internet shutdown methods to other governments.

The effect of recent instances of internet shutdowns show these tactics becoming increasingly common within conflicts affected regions. Methods for creating internet shutdowns are becoming increasingly tailored to a specific section of the internet. These trends are likely to continue unless international partners increase public international responses to shutdowns.