Regional shutdown
Public Wifi
Greater London
Police have shut down the public's access to wifi on the London Underground in an attempt to disrupt planned protests by climate protesters from the Extinction Rebellion activist group.
This was done at the request of the British Transport Police.
- Total Duration 16 hours
United Kingdom
- Population
- 69,487,000
Freedom House rates Internet freedom as Free
Local impact
It’s difficult to measure the effect of local/regional Internet shutdowns as most measurements are done at a country level. Learn more.
Related documentation
In a brief statement, a British Transport Police spokesperson commented on the situation:
“In the interests of safety and to prevent and deter serious disruption to the London Underground network, British Transport Police has taken the decision to restrict passenger Wi-Fi connectivity at tube stations. This follows intelligence that Extinction Rebellion protesters intend to cause disruption to tube services during Wednesday 17 April.
“We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and we would like to assure passengers that this decision is not taken lightly and will be reviewed throughout the day. The force continues to work closely with Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police Service in keeping disruption to a minimum.”
Other supporting information
It’s difficult to measure the effect of local/regional Internet shutdowns as most measurements are done at a country level. Learn more.