Regional shutdown
Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan regional authorities ordered Internet services to be suspended again on the morning of 28 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.
- Total Duration 2 hours
Iraq
- Population
- 45,074,049
Freedom House rates Internet freedom as Partly Free
Local impact
Iraqi Kurdistan regional authorities ordered Internet services to be suspended again on the morning of 28 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.
Related documentation
News outlets reported that the Kurdistan region ministry of telecom and transportation decided to shut down access to the Internet for two hours during exam days, between 6:00am and 8:00am. KNN news on exams and shutting down access to the Internet
Other supporting information
Cloudflare Radar and IODA recorded significant drops in Internet traffic on 28 July 2024 from 3:00 UTC (6:00 local time) to 5:00 UTC (8:00 local time). These drops come as student in Kurdistan region head to the second round of the final exams. The data shows small drop in overall traffic in Iraq, but considerable drop in traffic for KNet and Newroz Telecom, the two main ISPs focused on Kurdistan region. The two networks serve over 4 million users.
