Internet Shutdown For Iraqi Kudistan Exams, 7 July 2024

Iraq

7 July, 2024 03:00 - 05:00 (2 hours)

Local Impact

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.

Cause 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.

NRTTV new on exams and shutting down access to the Internet

Data and Analysis

Cloudflare Radar and IODA recorded drops in Internet traffic on 7 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 their 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 that lost access during this shutdown.

Internet Shutdowns

Iraq