Apagones de Internet

For approximately 24 hours, Internet access on mobile providers was shutdown, with multiple media reports indicating this shutdown was at the request of  the government of Bangladesh amidst renewed protests against the current government. On Monday, 5 August, reports emerged that the Prime Minister of Bangladesh had resigned and fled the country. As part of that, formation of an interim government was announced and Internet access began to be restored. Measurements as of 05 August at 13:00 UTC indicate that Internet connectivity is restored across the country. Data from Cloudflare Radar, IODA, and Google's Transparency Report showed the drop in traffic from mobile networks beginning around 07:30 am UTC on 4 August. This followed a government-mandated Internet shutdown for five days starting on July 18 and an ongoing blocking of various online services since July 16. On Monday, 5 August, there was a complete drop in all Internet connectivity visible in Google and IODA measurements, from approximately 4:30 - 7:30 UTC. After that, data shows a gradual restoration of Internet connectivity across all networks.

Los datos del OONI muestran elevadas anomalías en la conexión a los servicios de redes sociales y mensajería en Bangladesh. Estos nuevos datos, combinados con informes locales, sugieren que estos servicios están siendo bloqueados de nuevo menos de cuatro días después de que volvieran a la normalidad. Este nuevo bloqueo de servicios se produce tras los informes de un nuevo cierre de Internet en el país en medio de las renovadas protestas contra el actual gobierno. [Actualización 6 de agosto] Los datos de OONI muestran que la conectividad a los medios sociales y a los servicios de mensajería empezó a volver a la normalidad el 5 de agosto, y que el 6 de agosto se registraron pocas o ninguna anomalía.

[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.    

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) directed telecom operators to shut down Internet services on Saturday, 28 October 2023, from 11:00 to 20:00 local time in the capital, Nayapaltan, in response to a local political rally. A source from the BTRC confirmed the matter to Jago News. 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.

Bangladesh mobile operators GrameenPhone, Robi Axiata and Banglalink were ordered to shut down 3G and 4G services in the wake of attacks on religious sites in an attempt to quell rising violence. 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.  

There are reports that Facebook and its messaging app have been restricted in Bangladesh since Friday, 26 March 2021. Reports suggest that the services are being blocked during the two-day visit of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to the country, which has led to protests.

The shutdown of roughly 2,000 mobile phone towers affected 32 border districts, with roughly 10 million mobile phone subscribers.

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.

The order cut Internet services off completely in camps where Rohingya refugees were residing, and restricted the sale of mobile phones, SIM cards and services to Rohingya refugees. Blocking Internet access in areas where a humanitarian crisis is in full swing has detrimental consequences on aid agencies who need reliable access to coordinate, on the refugees themselves, many of whom depend on the Internet to communicate with loved ones and receive financial support from relatives around the world, and the local population in the areas where the Internet is being restricted.