For five successive years, India has topped the global list of states that cut off the internet to their citizens.
According to a recent report by the US digital rights advocacy group Access Now for the #KeepItOn coalition, India accounted for approximately 58% of all documented shutdowns globally. There were 84 shutdowns in the South Asian nation — more than in any other country.
In the northern state of Rajasthan, shutdowns were imposed a dozen times. West Bengal, in eastern India, ordered shutdowns on seven occasions. But it was the troubled region of Jammu and Kashmir that experienced the most shutdowns, at 49, including 16 back-to-back orders for three-day closures in January and February.
According to the IFF, internet restrictions cost the Indian economy $582.8 million (€547 million) in 2021. The previous year, the Indian economy lost an estimated $2.8 billion — more than any other country by far — after shutting down the internet for a combined 8,927 hours.
VIA Deutsche Welle