Internet Shutdowns

Global view of Internet shutdowns

Based on 959 shutdowns we've tracked since 2019. To learn more about how we define, measure, and verify shutdowns, go to the shutdown methodology.

Shutdowns are a critical threat to the Internet

An Internet shutdown is an intentional disruption of Internet or electronic communications, often ordered by governments to control information flow. They are a harmful and disproportionate response to complex issues. The United Nations considers cutting users off from Internet access to be a violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Governments often cite multiple reasons for shutdowns, such as maintaining social peace, responding to security, fighting fake news, and preventing cheating in exams. There is no evidence that shutdowns are effective at achieving their goals. Instead, they weaken users’ trust in digital services, damage the economy, deter foreign investment, and undermine human rights.

Despite this, as of 17 August 2026 there are currently 11 ongoing shutdowns. There have been 75 total or partial shutdowns across 10 countries since August 2025, resulting in a loss of 18,623 hours of access to the Internet due to intentional disruptions. Read our policy brief to learn more about our position, or explore shutdown trends and analysis on the Pulse blog.

Ongoing Internet shutdowns Permanent link

How we verify Internet Shutdowns

View details

We started tracking Internet shutdowns in 2019, and to date, we’ve tracked 959. There have been Internet shutdowns in a total of 61 countries since we started tracking, with a median duration of 8 hours. The latest country to experience a shutdown for the first time is Afghanistan. Asia is the region with the highest number of shutdowns over time. The most common shutdown trigger over the past 12 months is Exams, and of all time is Government Action.

One trend that is hard to see in the data set itself is the growth in regional and hyper-localized shutdown events. These are difficult to capture and track using traditional Internet measurement tools. For these, we rely more heavily on reports from trusted partners and media outlets. If you’re aware of a shutdown that we seem to be missing in our dataset, contact the Pulse team.

You can download the dataset or use the Pulse API.

Compare shutdowns between countries and across regions

Region

Total number of hours is cumulative, and includes all national and regional shutdowns.

Run an Internet impact assessment

Explore resources and activities to stop shutdowns and help governments commit to an open, unrestricted Internet.

Go to impact assessment toolkit

Explore shutdown stories on the Pulse blog

Find reports, trends, analysis, and opinion pieces by our team and guest authors from around the world on the Internet Society Pulse blog.

Read the Pulse blog

Read and share the Internet Society’s position paper

Learn more about the negative impact of Internet shutdowns on economies, people, and on the interconnected Internet itself, and what we advocate for instead.

Read the policy brief

All tracked shutdowns Permanent link

Download the dataset
Country Start date Verification level Shutdown reach Cause Affected services Duration
India 6 March 2023 Unconfirmed Regional shutdown Government Action Internet Services 0 minutes
India 28 February 2023 Acknowledged Regional shutdown Government Action Mobile Internet Services 1 day, 20 hours
India 28 February 2023 Unconfirmed Regional shutdown Government Action Internet Services 0 minutes
India 26 February 2023 Acknowledged Regional shutdown Exams Mobile Internet Services 12 hours
India 26 February 2023 Unconfirmed Regional shutdown Government Action Social Networks 2 days
India 25 February 2023 Acknowledged Regional shutdown Exams Mobile Internet Services 12 hours
India 24 February 2023 Acknowledged Regional shutdown Exams Mobile Internet Services 12 hours
India 17 February 2023 Unconfirmed Regional shutdown Protests Internet Services 2 days
India 16 February 2023 Acknowledged Regional shutdown Protests Internet Services 1 day
Iraq 13 February 2023 Acknowledged Service blocking Exams X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram 8 hours
Iraq 12 February 2023 Acknowledged Service blocking Exams Instagram, Telegram, X (Twitter), WhatsApp, Facebook 8 hours
Iraq 11 February 2023 Acknowledged Service blocking Exams Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, WhatsApp, X (Twitter) 8 hours
Iraq 10 February 2023 Acknowledged Service blocking Exams Telegram, Instagram, X (Twitter), Facebook, WhatsApp 8 hours
Ukraine 10 February 2023 Confirmed Regional shutdown Government Action Internet Services 1 day, 15 hours
Iraq 9 February 2023 Acknowledged Service blocking Exams Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, X (Twitter) 8 hours
Ethiopia 9 February 2023 Confirmed Service blocking Government Action TikTok, Telegram, YouTube, Facebook 157 days
Iraq 8 February 2023 Acknowledged Service blocking Exams WhatsApp, Telegram, X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook 8 hours
Iraq 7 February 2023 Acknowledged Service blocking Exams Instagram, Telegram, X (Twitter), Facebook, WhatsApp 8 hours
Iraq 6 February 2023 Acknowledged Service blocking Exams Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter) 8 hours
Iraq 5 February 2023 Acknowledged Service blocking Exams X (Twitter), Facebook, Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram 8 hours
India 2 February 2023 Unconfirmed National shutdown Government Action Social Networks, Instant Messaging 8 days
Iran 19 January 2023 Unconfirmed National shutdown Exams Internet Services 3 hours
Ukraine 14 January 2023 Confirmed Regional shutdown Government Action Internet Services 17 hours
Ukraine 14 January 2023 Confirmed Regional shutdown Government Action Internet Services 12 days, 18 hours
Iran 17 December 2022 Confirmed Regional shutdown Protests Internet Services 3 days, 7 hours