Apagones de Internet

[ACTUALIZACIÓN - 23 de julio de 2024 - 13:00 UTC] - La conectividad está volviendo gradualmente a Bangladesh. (Véanse los gráficos más abajo.) Después de 5 días, nuestra calculadora NetLoss estima que este apagón ha costado a la economía de Bangladesh más de 21.965.222 USD. Los datos y los informes muestran que Internet móvil se ha cerrado en gran parte de Bangladesh en medio de las protestas contra el gobierno. Los informes de los medios de comunicación afirman que gran parte de la actividad de protesta se desarrolla en torno a la capital, Dhaka, y está relacionada con las cuotas y las normas de contratación para la función pública. Las protestas contra las prácticas de contratación llevan varios días en marcha, pero se han incrementado en el último día aproximadamente. Tanto Cloudflare Radar como IODA mostraron la interrupción de la conectividad a Internet empezando por las redes móviles a primera hora del 18 de julio y avanzando hasta la pérdida total de conectividad dentro del país en torno a las 15:00 UTC. El gobierno de Bangladesh confirmó que había ordenado esta interrupción. Más de 40 organizaciones de la sociedad civil que forman parte de la coalición KeepItOn han firmado una carta en la que piden al gobierno de Bangladesh que restablezca la conectividad a Internet. El Observatorio Abierto de Interferencias en la Red (OONI, por sus siglas en inglés) indica que han observado el bloqueo de sitios de medios sociales a partir del 16 de julio. Si se encuentra en Bangladesh, puede ayudar a comprobar la conectividad a Internet ejecutando la aplicación de sondeo móvil de OONI en su dispositivo móvil. Si el cierre continúa, nuestra calculadora NetLoss estima que habrá una pérdida para la economía de Bangladesh de más de 3.500.000 dólares al día. Lea más sobre la infraestructura de Internet de Bangladesh en nuestro informe sobre el país.

[Update 2 August] According to OONI data, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter services started to resume normal operations on 31 July, with no anomalies recorded on 1 August. [Update 28 July] There are reports that Facebook is being blocked in Bangladesh, coinciding with the protests against a quota system for jobs in the public sector in Dhaka. Initial data from OONI (see report) suggests the block is only for Facebook and was in place from 16 July. Facebook and all Internet services were subsequently unreachable during the five and a half day Internet shutdown from 18 to 25 July. Following the shutdown, OONI testing shows that Facebook is still being blocked as are other Meta services, including Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp.OONI notes that its testing suggested "potential temporary blocking of WhatsApp on 17th July 2024 between 7:00 to 9:00 am UTC. More specifically...attempted connections to WhatsApp’s registration service and WhatsApp Web failed, resulting in connection reset errors." Since July 24 there have also been increases in anomalies (signals of potential censorship) for tests to Signal, Telegram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube. No cause documentation has been made apparent thus far.    

Data and reports show that mobile Internet has been shut down in parts of Pakistan's Punjab region during the religious festival of Muharram. Media reports state that mobile services include not only mobile Internet but network calls and SMS texts with a focus in specific areas along procession routes and venues hosting religious gatherings (majalis). These events follow the Punjab government's request to suspended mobile Internet services and popular social media services from 13 to 17 July. Reports suggest that mobile Internet services were already partially suspended on Sunday 14 July in certain areas of Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Jhang, Bahawalpur, and Bahawalnagar.

Iraqi Kurdistan regional authorities ordered Internet services to be suspended again on the morning of  14 July 2024, between 6:00 and 8:00 local time (+3 UTC). The shutdown comes on exam days as part of its efforts to prevent cheating. In an open letter to the Prime Minister of Iraq, the #KeepItOn coalition, which the Internet Society is a member, recently urged authorities to abstain from implementing Internet shutdowns during exams. The letter notes the lack of evidence demonstrating their impact on exam cheating, the economic cost of shutdowns on the country, and their violation of human rights.

Local authorities in Pakistan's Balochistan province ordered that mobile Internet and cellphone services in parts of the province be suspended from 14 to 17 July during the religious festival of Muharram. A spokesperson for the Balochistan Home Ministry said that the suspension will affect Quetta, Kachhi, Jhal Magsi, Jaffarabad, and Usta Muhammad. Similar directives have been issued in Pakistan's Punjab province, where mobile Internet services and popular social media services have been partially suspended.  

The Punjab provincial government has ordered mobile Internet and phone services to be suspended on 13 July from 15:00 to 23:00 local time in the areas of Lahore Airport, Walled City, Shadra, Barki/Hadyara, and Nawab Town. The order was made to control law and order in the province on the arrival of ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

There are reports that mobile Internet services have been suspended for 24 hours in Dhalai, Tripura. According to one report, Tripura home secretary PK Chakraborty released a notification under the provision of Section 52 of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, to "prohibit SMS messages of all mobile service providers, mobile internet or data service of all mobile service providers from midnight of 12/07/2024 to till the next day of 13/07/2024 of 12.00 PM (midnight) throughout the Dhalai District." The notification was given to quell community tension following the death of a young boy.

Iraqi Kurdistan regional authorities ordered Internet services to be suspended again on the morning of  10 July 2024, between 6:00 and 8:00 local time (+3 UTC). The shutdown comes on exam days as part of its efforts to prevent cheating. In an open letter to the Prime Minister of Iraq, the #KeepItOn coalition, which the Internet Society is a member, recently urged authorities to abstain from implementing Internet shutdowns during exams. The letter notes the lack of evidence demonstrating their impact on exam cheating, the economic cost of shutdowns on the country, and their violation of human rights.

Iraqi Kurdistan regional authorities ordered Internet services to be suspended again on the morning of  7 July 2024, between 6:00 and 8:00 local time (+3 UTC). The shutdown comes on exam days as part of its efforts to prevent cheating. In an open letter to the Prime Minister of Iraq, the #KeepItOn coalition, which the Internet Society is a member, recently urged authorities to abstain from implementing Internet shutdowns during exams. The letter notes the lack of evidence demonstrating their impact on exam cheating, the economic cost of shutdowns on the country, and their violation of human rights.

Iraq authorities ordered Internet services to be suspended again on the morning of  2 July 2024, between 6:00 and 8:00 local time (+3 UTC). The shutdown follows an announcement by Iraq's Ministry of Communication on 7 June 2024 stating that they will enact the Ministry of Education's request to order Internet shutdowns on exam days as part of its efforts to prevent cheating. In an open letter to the Prime Minister of Iraq, the #KeepItOn coalition, which the Internet Society is a member, recently urged authorities to abstain from implementing Internet shutdowns during exams. The letter notes the lack of evidence demonstrating their impact on exam cheating, the economic cost of shutdowns on the country, and their violation of human rights. Iraq ordered more than 40 Internet shutdowns last year and 16 this year, most of which were related to exams.