Fermeture d'Internet

Iraqi Kurdistan regional authorities ordered Internet services to be suspended again on the morning of  17 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.

On 16 August, Udaipur authorities ordered Internet services to be suspended for 24 hours from 22:00 local time in several areas in the district to maintain law and order following a stabbing at a local school. These orders were extended twice, on 17 August and 18 August, following communal unrest. Although the final orders stipulated Internet services were to return at 22:00 on 19 August, multiple people reported some services not resuming until 21 August. Suspending Internet services during times of conflict restricts legitimate information and communication and limits freedom of speech and expression.

On 13 August, Internet services were again disrupted in Mauritania from 8:00-12:00 UTC. This follows two disruptions the day before all of which are coinciding with baccalaureate exams happening this week in the country. These recent shutdowns comes less than a month after Internet services were restored after a 23 day national Internet shutdown following post-election protests.

Internet services were disrupted twice in Mauritania on 12 August from 8:00-12:00 UTC and 15:00-19:00 UTC. The disruption coincided with baccalaureate exams happening that day. This recent shutdown comes less than a month after Internet services were restored after a 23 day national Internet shutdown following post-election protests.

At the request of the Syrian Ministry of Education, the Internet in Syria was suspended on the morning of 8 August 2024, between 7:00 and 10:00 local time (+3 UTC) ahead of the last day of the second round of high school exams as per announcement by Syria Telecom. The company issued a schedule for the Internet and telecommunication services shutdown. Along with this shutdown event, mobile telecommunication is also scheduled to be shut off between 9:00 and 10:00 local time (+3 UTC). The first shutdown event in this series happened on 25 July. The #KeepItOn coalition, which the Internet Society is a member, recently urged Syrian and other authorities to abstain from implementing Internet shutdowns during exams, noting the lack of evidence demonstrating their impact on exam cheating, the economic cost of shutdowns on countries, and their violation of human rights. Since 2019, Syria has ordered multiple Internet shutdowns, all related to exams.

Haryana authorities have ordered Internet and bulk SMS services to be suspended in Sisra until 23:59 local time, 8 August 2024. The orders were issued by the Department of Home Affairs of Haryana as a precution to prevent any disturbance and spread of misinformation following the death of a notable religious leader in the region. As noted by one report, "The Haryana government’s use of terms like “apprehension” and “clear potential” suggests the internet restriction is preventive, despite no substantial evidence of misinformation or inflammatory material on social media, as mentioned in the order. Such actions restrict legitimate information, especially during a major social development in the State, impacting people’s access to readily available means of communication, and limiting their freedom of speech and expression."

At the request of the Syrian Ministry of Education, the Internet in Syria was suspended on the morning of 6 August 2024, between 7:00 and 10:15 local time (+3 UTC) ahead of the second round of high school exams as per announcement by Syria Telecom. The company issued a schedule for the Internet and telecommunication services shutdown. Along with this shutdown event, mobile telecommunication is also scheduled to be shut off between 9:00 and 10:15 local time (+3 UTC). The first shutdown event in this series happened on 25 July. The #KeepItOn coalition, which the Internet Society is a member, recently urged Syrian and other authorities to abstain from implementing Internet shutdowns during exams, noting the lack of evidence demonstrating their impact on exam cheating, the economic cost of shutdowns on countries, and their violation of human rights. Since 2019, Syria has ordered multiple Internet shutdowns, all related to exams.

At the request of the Syrian Ministry of Education, the Internet in Syria was suspended on the morning of 5 August 2024, between 7:00 and 9:45 local time (+3 UTC) ahead of the second round of high school exams as per the announcement by Syria Telecom. The company issued a schedule for the Internet and telecommunication services shut down. Along with this shutdown event, mobile telecommunication is also scheduled to be shut off between 9:00 and 9:45 local time (+3 UTC). The first shutdown event in this series happened on 25 July. The #KeepItOn coalition, which the Internet Society is a member, recently urged Syrian and other authorities to abstain from implementing Internet shutdowns during exams, noting the lack of evidence demonstrating their impact on exam cheating, the economic cost of shutdowns on countries, and their violation of human rights. Since 2019, Syria has ordered multiple Internet shutdowns, all related to exams.

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.

At the request of the Syrian Ministry of Education, the Internet in Syria was suspended on the morning of 4 August 2024, between 7:00 and 10:15 local time (+3 UTC) ahead of the second round of high school exams as per the announcement by Syria Telecom. The company issued a schedule for the Internet and telecommunication services shut down. Along with this shutdown event, mobile telecommunication is also scheduled to be shut off between 9:00 and 10:15 local time (+3 UTC). The first shutdown event in this series happened on 25 July. The #KeepItOn coalition, which the Internet Society is a member, recently urged Syrian and other authorities to abstain from implementing Internet shutdowns during exams, noting the lack of evidence demonstrating their impact on exam cheating, the economic cost of shutdowns on countries, and their violation of human rights. Since 2019, Syria has ordered multiple Internet shutdowns, all related to exams.