In countries such as Sudan, Syria, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan internet blackouts have occurred in a bid to prevent political mobilsation. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration
WITH AN increasing global trend towards digital control, many governments are flipping the kill switch and using internet access as a weapon against its own people.
In instances such as Myanmar, it’s also known as a “digital coup” as the military junta seized power of the capital city and later forced engineers at internet service providers to shut down its connections to the outside world.
Similarly, in Sudan, Syria, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan internet blackouts have occurred in a bid to prevent political mobilisation.
According to Access Now, an organisation which tracks internet connectivity across the globe and advocates for digital security, freedom of expression and privacy, there has been at least 182 internet shutdowns across 34 countries during 2021.
The company says internet shutdowns are always dangerous as it highlits just how “vicious” governments can be throughout protests and civil unrest.
“Censorship, information regulation, and isolation from the outside world are the basic components of a government’s descent into digital authoritarianism — an internet shutdown is a proven all-in-one tool that achieves ultimate control in a single, swift action,” it said.
“In 2021, 18 governments including Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cuba, eSwatini, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Pakistan, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Uganda imposed mobile internet shutdowns during protests,” the group said.
It added that cutting mobile access to crack down on public dissent is an increasing trend globally, and these specific shutdowns were implemented at least 37 times in 2021, compared to 15 the previous year.
IOL