Internet Shutdowns

• Past

  Regional shutdown

  Assam

  Assam State authorities ordered mobile Internet services to be suspended across 25 of the state's 35 districts on 21 August 2022, between 10:00 and 12:00 and 14:00 and 16:00 (local time) to avoid malpractice during the written examination for Class-IV government post. Similar orders have been given for Class-III government post exams on Sunday, 28 August. These orders come despite a petition in March 2022 to the West Bengal High Court challenging a government move to suspend internet services to control cheating in the Madhyamaik Examinations. from which the court acknowledged but stayed the order. According to a report, the court disposed the matter by saying, “The Rule of 2017 are required to be complied with and the Supreme Court has already laid down the law which is binding under Article 141 of the Constitution, hence, we express hope that while issuing any such order in future, the State authorities will duly comply with the same.” According to the Internet Freedom Foundation, this was an important judgement by the High Court because it would be useful when persuading states to follow the law on internet suspension.  

  India

  • Start 21 August 2022 10:00 UTC
  • End 21 August 2022 16:00 UTC
  • Total Duration 6 hours
• Past

  National shutdown

  Internet disruptions were observed in Sierra Leone over two days amid anti-government protests in the country’s capital, Freetown. Cloudflare documented Internet disruptions between 12:00 and 14:00 local time (UTC) on 10 August, and between 01:00 and 07:30 local time on 11 August. Local sources believe the shutdown was orchestrated by the government as a means to quell dissent. Zoodlabs, which managers the state-owned optical fiber company, Sierra Leone Cable, claimed that the outage was due to “emergency technical maintenance.”

  Sierra Leone

  • Start 11 August 2022 00:00 UTC
  • End 11 August 2022 08:00 UTC
  • Total Duration 8 hours
• Past

  National shutdown

  As Syrians continue national exams, the government ordered an Internet shutdown on 9th August 2022. Internet shutdowns during protests, exams or civil unrest impact the ability of citizens to get accurate information from government sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country, or in other countries.

  Syria

  • Start 9 August 2022 00:00 UTC
  • End 9 August 2022 00:00 UTC
  • Total Duration 0 minutes
• Past

  National shutdown

  As Syrians continue national exams, the government ordered an Internet shutdown on 7th August 2022. Internet shutdowns during protests, exams or civil unrest impact the ability of citizens to get accurate information from government sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country, or in other countries.

  Syria

  • Start 7 August 2022 00:00 UTC
  • End 7 August 2022 00:00 UTC
  • Total Duration 0 minutes
• Past

  National shutdown

  As Syrians continue national exams, the government ordered an Internet shutdown on 4th August 2022. Internet shutdowns during protests, exams or civil unrest impact the ability of citizens to get accurate information from government sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country, or in other countries.

  Syria

  • Start 4 August 2022 00:00 UTC
  • End 4 August 2022 00:00 UTC
  • Total Duration 0 minutes
• Past

  National shutdown

  As Syrians continue national exams, the government ordered an Internet shutdown on 1st August 2022. Internet shutdowns during protests, exams or civil unrest impact the ability of citizens to get accurate information from government sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country, or in other countries.

  Syria

  • Start 1 August 2022 00:00 UTC
  • End 1 August 2022 00:00 UTC
  • Total Duration 0 minutes

July 2022

• Past

  National shutdown

  Thousands of people took to Cuban streets across the country on 15 July 2021, to protest against the government. In response, the government swiftly shut down mobile connectivity and the telephone system to disrupt the flow of information, making it hard for citizens and activists to mobilize and communicate with each other. Mobile phones account for over three-quarters of all web traffic in Cuba, with approximately 76 % of traffic within the country generated via mobile devices (Statista). Although access was restored quickly, Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact the ability of citizens to get accurate information from government sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country, or in other countries. While the Internet has been available in Cuba for several years, access is controlled by the government, which blocks access to certain websites and requires permits for connections to private homes or businesses. The high cost of fixed line access was prohibitive for most citizens until 2018, when relatively affordable mobile Internet plans became available, opening up access - albeit censored - to millions of people.

  Cuba

  • Start 15 July 2022 04:50 UTC
  • End 15 July 2022 05:40 UTC
  • Total Duration 50 minutes

June 2022

• Past

  National shutdown

  Sudan cut off Internet access for the third consecutive year as students took their national exams. Mobile operator Zain Sudan notified its customers of the disruption, and data compiled by Cloudflare showed national traffic dipping from 08:00 to 11:00 local time (UTC +2) on each exam day. Following this shutdown, the government again blocked Internet services at the end of the month, 30 June, as protesters marked the first anniversary of the military coup that derailed the country’s transition to civilian rule.

  Sudan

  • Start 22 June 2022 08:00 UTC
  • End 22 June 2022 11:00 UTC
  • Total Duration 3 hours
• Past

  National shutdown

  Sudan cut off Internet access for the third consecutive year as students took their national exams. Mobile operator Zain Sudan notified its customers of the disruption, and data compiled by Cloudflare showed national traffic dipping from 08:00 to 11:00 local time (UTC +2) on each exam day. Following this shutdown, the government again blocked Internet services at the end of the month, 30 June, as protesters marked the first anniversary of the military coup that derailed the country’s transition to civilian rule.

  Sudan

  • Start 21 June 2022 08:00 UTC
  • End 21 June 2022 11:00 UTC
  • Total Duration 3 hours
• Past

  National shutdown

  Sudan cut off Internet access for the third consecutive year as students took their national exams. Mobile operator Zain Sudan notified its customers of the disruption, and data compiled by Cloudflare showed national traffic dipping from 08:00 to 11:00 local time (UTC +2) on each exam day. Following this shutdown, the government again blocked Internet services at the end of the month, 30 June, as protesters marked the first anniversary of the military coup that derailed the country’s transition to civilian rule.

  Sudan

  • Start 20 June 2022 08:00 UTC
  • End 20 June 2022 11:00 UTC
  • Total Duration 3 hours