UPDATED
November 14, 2022
Internet shutdown tracker
Undemocratic governments around the world are increasingly turning to internet blackouts and social media censorship to maintain their rule. They use it to prevent the dissemination of information and to impede organizational efforts.
In partnership with
5,698,341,933
Total users deprived of internet access to date
76
Total countries that have disrupted access to date
Where has the internet been restricted?
Continental statistics
We have sorted the internet and social media disruptions by continent for easier viewing
Africa
Asia
Europe
North America
South America
Oceania
Africa has been one of the the most affected by internet censorship by the proportion of the population. 8 out of 10 Africans have felt internet and social media shutdowns.
Cases of disruptions: 91
Out of which due to:
41
Protests
24
Elections
26
Political turmoil
0
Internet law
No. of countries
% of the continent
No evidence
20
37%
Disrupted internet services in the past
34
63%
Currently restricting social media or VoIP
2
3.7%
Restricted social media or VoIP in the past
25
46.3%
Internet connection disrupted in the past
25
46.3%
Affected people
1,027,703,174
76.8%
Find a country profile
Search for a country to find out whether it has faced internet shutdowns
Continental ranking based on disruptions: 9th
Cases of disruptions:4
Out of which due to:
1
Protests
N/A
Elections
3
Political turmoil
N/A
Internet law
Currently restricted social media platforms
2009, July
2009, July
Youtube
2009, July
2016, September
Telegram
2016, July
2017, September
Insights
More than 2/3 of all Asian countries have had limited access to the internet in the past for reasons ranging from total Western social media shutdowns to blocking YouTube because of leaked sexual footage involving local politicians.
African countries block access to social media the most (34 countries), especially amid political turmoil or elections. 1/3 of African countries have restricted access to internet services because of elections.
While South America doesn’t have many recorded cases of internet restrictions, Venezuela has blocked social media at least 18 times in 2019, every time acting president Juan Guaido was airing a speech online.
India remains the largest internet shutdown offender, with some of its internet blockages lasting for months in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
Recent news
Turkey
November 13, 2022
Multiple internet providers in Turkey restricted Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and some Telegram servers from Sunday afternoon to Monday morning. The incident happened after a deadly explosion in Istanbul.
Source
Sudan
October 25, 2022
A significant internet disruption affected cellular and fixed-line connectivity on multiple providers for around 8 hours. The incident comes ahead of planned pro-democracy protests to mark the first anniversary of the 2021 Sudanese military coup. Internet shutdowns were then imposed to silence public dissent.
Source
Iran
September 21, 2022
Instagram and WhatsApp, the last remaining international platforms in Iran, have subsequently been restricted nationally since September 21. The incident comes amid widening protests after the death of Mahsa Amini.
SourceIran
September 21, 2022
After the Instagram and WhatsApp restrictions, a nationwide shutdown of mobile networks happened in Iran on Wednesday, September 21. Mobile internet was disrupted for a third day on the following Friday.
Source