Internet Shutdowns
Who Shuts Down the Internet the Most?
Based on 912 shutdowns we've tracked since 2018
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423 -
160 -
73 -
37 -
18 -
17 -
17 -
14 -
11 -
10
- Africa
- Americas
- Asia
- Europe
- Oceania
Ongoing
12
ongoing shutdowns around the world
97
Internet shutdowns around the world since January 2025
15
countries have experienced a total or partial Internet shutdown since January 2025
Since January 2025, the world’s population has lost a total of
23,765 hours
of access to the Internet due to intentional disruptions.
Over the past 12 months, we estimate that
US $85,792,284
has been lost in combined GDP across all countries that have experienced Internet shutdowns
Shutdowns
June 2022
912 shutdowns
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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
- End
- Total Duration 3 hours
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Past
National shutdown
This is the seventh year that Syria has shut the Internet down during high school exams. This is recorded for 12 June 2022. State-owned operator announced the scheduled disruption on platforms like Facebook, describing four outages, each scheduled to last for three and a half hours. The Syrian government has unplugged the Internet every year during student exams time since 2016, after exam questions began appearing on social media prior to the exams. Yet there is growing evidence that shutdowns are an ineffective way to prevent cheating, as questions still get leaked in spite of an Internet blackout.
Syria
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 0 minutes
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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
- End
- Total Duration 3 hours
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Past
National shutdown
This is the seventh year that Syria has shut the Internet down during high school exams. This is recorded for 6 June 2022. State-owned operator announced the scheduled disruption on platforms like Facebook, describing four outages, each scheduled to last for three and a half hours. The Syrian government has unplugged the Internet every year during student exams time since 2016, after exam questions began appearing on social media prior to the exams. Yet there is growing evidence that shutdowns are an ineffective way to prevent cheating, as questions still get leaked in spite of an Internet blackout.
Syria
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 0 minutes
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Past
National shutdown
This is the seventh year that Syria has shut the Internet down during high school exams. This is recorded for 2 June 2022. State-owned operator announced the scheduled disruption on platforms like Facebook, describing four outages, each scheduled to last for three and a half hours. The Syrian government has unplugged the Internet every year during student exams time since 2016, after exam questions began appearing on social media prior to the exams. Yet there is growing evidence that shutdowns are an ineffective way to prevent cheating, as questions still get leaked in spite of an Internet blackout.
Syria
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 0 minutes
May 2022
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Past
National shutdown
This is the seventh year that Syria has shut the Internet down during high school exams. This is recorded for 30 May 2022. State-owned operator announced the scheduled disruption on platforms like Facebook, describing four outages, each scheduled to last for three and a half hours. The Syrian government has unplugged the Internet every year during student exams time since 2016, after exam questions began appearing on social media prior to the exams. Yet there is growing evidence that shutdowns are an ineffective way to prevent cheating, as questions still get leaked in spite of an Internet blackout.
Syria
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 0 minutes
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Past
Regional shutdown
Rajasthan
Authorities suspended the mobile Internet services in Rajasthan's Bhilwara city from 11 to 12 April 2022 to 'maintain law and order' following a murder. This was the second 24-hour shutdown in the region in a week. 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.
India
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 1 day
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Past
Regional shutdown
Rajasthan
Authorities suspended Internet services in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district from 5 to 6 May 2022 to maintain law and order following an attack on two persons. 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.
India
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 1 day
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Past
Regional shutdown
Mobile data, SMS
Rajasthan
Mobile Internet and SMS services were susspend in Jodhpur (Rajasthan) for three days after local authorities imposed a curfew under Section 144 following communal violence in the city on 3 May 2022. Fixed lines and cable broadband connections, as well as voice calls, were still operational. The District Magistrate cited Section 2(i) of the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017 as grounds for the order. This section specifically deals with the checks and balances in place around ordering Internet shutdowns. This was the second Internet shutdown in the region in the last month — a week-long internet shutdown was imposed in Karauli district of Rajasthan in the first week of April 2023, reportedly prompted by communal clashes. 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.
India
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 2 days, 4 hours
April 2022
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