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
24,022 hours
of access to the Internet due to intentional disruptions.
Over the past 12 months, we estimate that
US $90,028,097
has been lost in combined GDP across all countries that have experienced Internet shutdowns
Shutdowns
October 2019
912 shutdowns
-
Past
National shutdown
Mobile Internet Services
Major mobile operator Claro has been affected by a multi-hour outage extending to large swaths of the country, later narrowing to the capital Quito. The outage coincides with President Lenin Moreno declaring a curfew amidst ongoing public protests against the government’s austerity measures. Meanwhile, Telefónica Movistar released a statement saying that part of its telecommunications infrastructure was affected by unknown actors, which could degrade its services. A report subsequently published by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) highlighted that interruption in the state’s fiberoptic cabling could impact other telecom operators, like Movistar, that use those cables to provide their services.
Ecuador
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 0 minutes
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Past
Regional shutdown
Mobile Internet Services
Jehanabad, Bihar
One person was killed and three others, including security personnel, were injured in a fresh round of communal violence in this central Bihar town on Friday where tension has prevailed since members of two communities clashed the previous day during a procession for the immersion of idols of goddess Durga.
India
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 4 days, 9 hours
-
Past
Service blocking
Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp
Network data from the NetBlocks internet observatory show that social media backend image and CDN servers were temporarily disrupted in Ecuador with state-run operator Corporación Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (CNT) on Monday, 7 October 2019 amid a spiralling political crisis and widespread protests.
Ecuador
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 0 minutes
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Past
National shutdown
National except Kurdish region
Iraq
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 7 days
-
Past
Service blocking
Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram
National except Kurdish region
This shutdown had a significant impact on the Iraqi economy, with an article in the International Business Times placing the estimated impact at nearly a billion dollars. The article highlights the financial pain experienced by members of the emerging digital economy in Iraq, including startups, e-commerce sites, online delivery companies and couriers, and travel companies.
Iraq
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 9 days
September 2019
-
Past
Regional shutdown
Internet Services and Other modes of communications including phone lines disrupted
Wamena
Indonesia experienced massive protests and riots in response to several controversial laws and social tensions. Students and civil society protested against a reform of the Penal Code, which included restrictive clauses on individual rights, and against a law weakening the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), seen as a threat to anti-corruption efforts. Simultaneously, violence erupted in Papua, where demands for autonomy and ethnic tensions led to deadly clashes between protesters and security forces. These events highlighted widespread public discontent with the government and an increasing demand for social justice and respect for human rights.
Indonesia
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 3 days
-
Past
Service blocking
Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, Skype
In scenes reminiscent of the 2011 Arab Spring revolt, Egyptians flooded Tahrir Square in Cairo and several other major cities on Friday, calling for Sisi to step down. Protesters in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and Damietta could be seen chanting “The people demand the fall of the regime,” “Get out, Sisi,” and “Rise up, fear not, Sisi must go.” Videos of the demonstrations spread rapidly on social media.
Egypt
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 1 day
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Past
Regional shutdown
Internet Services
Tizi Ouzou, Bouira, Setif, Jijel, and parts of Algiers
The country’s main network operator, state-run Algérie Télécom, restricted Internet access in several areas, including Tizi Ouzou, Bouira, Setif, Jijel, and parts of the capital Algiers, amidst public demonstrations against the influence of army leaders in the civic space. No announcements or statements were issued by authorities about the shutdown.
Algeria
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 1 day
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Past
Regional shutdown
Internet Services
Refugee Camps in Cox Bazar district and peninsula adjoining the Naf River
Internet restrictions imposed on camp locations in Teknaf and Ukhiya in Cox’s Bazar limited communications and access to information for nearly one million Rohingya refugees, and prevented humanitarian and aid organizations from providing assistance, including emergency services to those residing in the camps. One aid worker speaking to Human Rights Watch said the shutdown kept them from corresponding with refugees on emergency infrastructure repairs during the monsoon season. The shutdown extended to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. An open letter signed by 50 humanitarian organisations for the Bangladesh government pointed out that it restricted the ability of aid groups to coordinate preventive measures, deliver information about the coronavirus to refugees, refer patients to isolation facilities, and conduct ‘contact tracing’ to prevent its spread – activities that are slow and risks further exposure to the virus if done in person. Aid workers, health volunteers and community leaders rely on Whatsapp to communicate with and provide updates to refugees and each other. The Internet blackout had impeded timely intervention to stop the spread of measles in the camps in January 2020, leaving a dozen children dead. It has likewise prevented refugees from communicating, and receiving news on conditions in Rakhine State from their loved ones who are still in Myanmar.
Bangladesh
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 354 days
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Past
Regional shutdown
Mobile Internet Services
Faisalabad, Jhang, Multan, Rahimyar Khan, Lahore Karachi & Islamabad
As the Shias will observe their most important ritual, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority on Sunday said mobile phone services would remain suspended on the Monday and Tuesday, besides heightening security in specified areas of all cities across the country
Pakistan
- Start
- End
- Total Duration 2 days
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