National shutdown
Iraq authorities ordered Internet services to be suspended again on the morning of 3 September 2024, between 6:00 and 8:00 local time (+3 UTC). The shutdown follows an announcement by Iraq's Ministry of Communication on 28 August 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. The national shutdown comes two days after a similar regional shutdown in the Kurdistan region. 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 more than 30 so far this year, all of which were related to exams either in wider Iraq or in the Kurdistan region.
- Total Duration 2 hours
Iraq
- Population
- 45,074,049
Freedom House rates Internet freedom as Partly Free
Local impact
Iraq authorities ordered Internet services to be suspended again on the morning of 3 September 2024, between 6:00 and 8:00 local time (+3 UTC). The shutdown follows an announcement by Iraq's Ministry of Communication on 28 August 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. The national shutdown comes two days after a similar regional shutdown in the Kurdistan region. 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 more than 30 so far this year, all of which were related to exams either in wider Iraq or in the Kurdistan region.
Related documentation
A screenshot of an announcement on the Ministry of Communications website on 28 August 2024 regarding planned Internet shutdowns related to exam period.
Based on the exam schedules below, we except further disruptions daily until 15 September. [caption id="attachment_19831" align="alignnone" width="240"]
Exams Scheduled in Iraq, 29 August to 15 September 2024[/caption]
Other supporting information
Cloudflare Radar, IODA, and Google Transparency Report recorded drops in Internet traffic and Google Search usage on 3 September 2024 from 3:00 UTC (6:00 local time) to 5:00 UTC (8:00 local time).
