21 internet restrictions recorded in the first half of 2024

In the first half of 2024, 9 countries witnessed internet restrictions imposed by their own governments, according to Surfshark’s Internet Shutdown Tracker¹. Three countries experienced their very first restriction (at least since 2015). All of these cases were attempts by the government to silence the public in times of political unrest, most commonly during protests. Although the number of internet restrictions halved compared to the same period last year (there were 42 restrictions in the first half of 2023²), internet censorship remains a pressing problem in autocratic regimes.

Key insights

• 21 internet restrictions were recorded overall. India took the lead with 7 cases. Most of these cases (6) took place amid protests across different Indian cities and regions. India is the number one country in internet restrictions since 2015, according to Surfshark’s Internet Shutdown Tracker¹, with 123 cases recorded. Unfortunately, judging from the first half of 2024, it doesn't look like internet shutdowns will be slowing down anytime soon in India.
• Pakistan had a turbulent election period, resulting in five different internet restrictions imposed by the government. Pakistan’s elections were surrounded by allegations of vote manipulation³ that a Pakistani official later confirmed. Three separate internet restrictions were imposed during and after the elections⁴⁵⁶, while two restrictions were imposed prior to the election during opposition leader Imran Khan’s virtual events⁷⁸. Such actions taken by the government undermine the very aspect of democracy and make it impossible for fair elections to take place.
• Senegal’s election was due to take place on February 25th but ended up being postponed⁹, sparking protests and subsequent internet restrictions. One restriction was imposed in Dakar on February 5th¹⁰, while the second one was imposed nationwide on February 10th¹¹. Senegal’s election finally took place on March 24th⁹.
• During the first half of 2024, three countries restricted the internet for the first time (at least since 2015, which is when Surfshark began tracking internet shutdowns): Comoros, El Salvador, and Kenya. Comoros had a restriction amid post-election protests¹². El Salvador restricted the internet on the day of the presidential inauguration of controversial president Nayib Bukele¹³, while Kenya’s restriction occurred amid protests over a new finance bill¹⁴.
• Asia was the leading continent in internet restrictions, with 14 recorded cases. Most of these occurred in India and Pakistan. Africa was second with 6 cases, while North America had 1 case.
• Protests were the leading cause of internet restrictions in the first half of 2024, sparking 10 of the 21 recorded internet restrictions. Elections accounted for 4 instances, while 7 were related to other kinds of political turmoil.

Methodology and sources

We analyzed 196 countries and territories in Surfshark’s Internet Shutdown Tracker¹ based on their history of network connection disruptions and social media restrictions in the first half of 2024.

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