Regional shutdown
Mobile Internet Services
Jammu and Kashmir
On March 16, 2020, the Home Department of Jammu and Kashmir issued Government Order No. 19(TSTS) of 2020, establishing regulatory measures for internet services with retroactive effect from March 15, 2020. This directive mandated the continuation of mobile data throttling to 2G speeds and specifically ordered Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to ensure that social media applications and VPN tools remained inaccessible, despite growing public demand for high-speed connectivity to access information during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The order is significant as it highlights the administration's priority of 'security-based' bandwidth control over the emerging humanitarian need for high-speed internet during a global health emergency. By maintaining a strict ban on VPNs and social media through 2G networks, the government effectively limited the region's ability to participate in digital health responses, remote learning, and verified information sharing, which were critical as nationwide lockdown measures began to take effect in India.
- Total Duration 12 hours
India
- Population
- 1,463,865,525
Freedom House rates Internet freedom as Partly Free
Related documentation
On March 16, 2020, the Home Department of Jammu and Kashmir issued Government Order No. 19(TSTS) of 2020, establishing regulatory measures for internet services with retroactive effect from March 15, 2020. This directive mandated the continuation of mobile data throttling to 2G speeds and specifically ordered Internet Service Providers to ensure that social media applications and VPN tools remained inaccessible, despite growing public demand for high-speed connectivity to access information during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
