Internet Shutdowns
Who Shuts Down the Internet the Most?
Based on 908 shutdowns we've tracked since 2018
-
421 -
160 -
73 -
37 -
18 -
17 -
16 -
14 -
11 -
10
- Africa
- Americas
- Asia
- Europe
- Oceania
Ongoing
10
ongoing shutdowns around the world
95
Internet shutdowns around the world since December 2024
14
countries have experienced a total or partial Internet shutdown since December 2024
Since December 2024, the world’s population has lost a total of
20,651 hours
of access to the Internet due to intentional disruptions.
Over the past 12 months, we estimate that
US $74,235,800
has been lost in combined GDP across all countries that have experienced Internet shutdowns
Shutdowns
December 2021
908 shutdowns
-
Past
Regional shutdown
Khartoum
Internet services were again reportedly limited in Khartoum, Sudan on 30 December 2021 in response to further protests against the military and its ongoing coup. This recent event follows another report of an Internet shutdown on 25 December 2021. Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact citizens’ ability 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.
Sudan
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 11 hours
-
Past
Regional shutdown
Mobile Internet Services
Srinagar
Local authorities ordered Internet Service Providers to suspend mobile data services in several areas of the Srinagar district from 28 to 30 December as part of wider actions to quell civil unrest in the region. These orders follow similar orders in our district areas over the past few days. Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact citizens' ability 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 other countries.
India
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 2 days, 6 hours
-
Past
Regional shutdown
Khartoum
Internet services were reportedly suspended in Sudan's capital city, Khartoum, on 25 December 2021, ahead of planned protests against the military and its ongoing coup. Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact citizens’ ability 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.
Sudan
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 16 hours
-
Past
Regional shutdown
Mobile Internet Services
Mon, Nagaland
Local authorities ordered mobile Internet service providers to suspend Internet services in the Mon district until further notice on 4 December to maintain law and order during the civil unrest that broke out in the district. Services were restored the following afternoon (5 December). Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact citizens' ability 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 other countries.
India
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 14 hours
November 2021
October 2021
-
Past
National shutdown
Sudan’s military cut fixed and mobile Internet connectivity on 25 October 2021, after it seized power just ahead of the country’s general elections. Sudan was under a transitional authority after the ouster of Omar al-Bashir in 2019, and the military following its takeover declared a state of emergency as protesters took to the streets of the capital, Khartoum, in opposition to the coup. On 9 November, Khartoum’s District Court ordered ISPs to restore Internet access, but services only began to return after 25 days of blackout, on 18 November, prolonged by the insistence of the Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority for the shutdown to remain in place. Zain and MTN were the first to come back online, followed by Sudatel and later by other providers. Al Jazeera Arabic reported that the Internet blackout caused economic losses amounting to tens of millions of dollars per day, with telecommunications companies alone losing USD 6 million daily. Citizens resorted to roaming services on international SIM cards sent from overseas to get in touch with their loved ones.
Sudan
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 24 days, 9 hours
-
Past
National shutdown
Bangladesh mobile operators GrameenPhone, Robi Axiata and Banglalink were ordered to shut down 3G and 4G services in the wake of attacks on religious sites in an attempt to quell rising violence. 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.
Bangladesh
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 11 hours
September 2021
August 2021
-
Past
National shutdown
Mobile Data
The three-hour disruption in Internet access began after activists called for anti-corruption protests against the government, demanding the resignation of President Salva Kiir. The Minister of Information, Communication and Postal Services denied a government-mandated shutdown, attributing the outage to technical problems. Amnesty International suspects the shutdown may have been a deliberate attempt to derail the protests, which the armed forces prevented from taking place.
South Sudan
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 3 hours
-
Past
Service blocking
Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook
Internet users in Zambia were unable to access social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Whatsapp, on the day of the country’s general elections on the 12th of August. Local media had previously reported government plans to shut down access to social media to ‘maintain peace and order during the voting period.’ Internet users in Zambia, including journalists, lamented their inability to keep track of election proceedings, and to go about their work properly without these channels of communication. Access was restored by order of the High Court, following a lawsuit put forward by Chapter One Foundation, a Zambian non-governmental organization, challenging the decision of the Zambian Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) to disrupt Internet connectivity. The ZICTA agreed in March 2022 not to act outside its legal authority to interrupt access to the internet, and to inform the public of the reason for any internet shutdown within 36 hours of implementation in the future.
Zambia
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 2 days
- Page 49 of 91.