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UPDATED:August 20, 2024

Internet shutdown tracker

Undemocratic governments can disrupt their countries’ network connection and social media access as a means to silence the public in times of political unrest. The Internet Shutdown Tracker unmasks the countries guilty of taking these measures according to internet watchdog NetBlocks and other media and NGO reports. The study includes cases that occurred from 2015 onwards.

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5,923,379,137
Total users deprived of internet access to date
80
Total countries that have disrupted access to date

Where has the internet been restricted?

Regional statistics

We have sorted internet shutdowns (including both network connection disruptions and social media/messaging app disruptions) by region for easier viewing.

Africa
Asia
Europe
North America
South America
Oceania
Africa is the second most intensive region by internet shutdowns. 8 out of 10 Africans have been hit by internet shutdowns since 2015.
Cases of disruptions since 2015: 124
Out of which due to:
61
Protests
30
Elections
32
Other political turmoil
1
Internet law
 
No. of countries
% of the continent
No evidence
18
33.3%
Any type of disruption in the past
36
66.7%
Currently restricting social media/messaging apps
6
11.1%
Social media/messaging apps disrupted in the past
25
46.3%
Network connection disrupted in the past
29
53.7%
Affected people
1,168,354,387
81.1%

Find a country profile

Search for a country to find out if it has faced internet shutdowns

Regional ranking by disruptions: 13th in Asia

Cases of disruptions since 2015: 4

Out of which due to:

1

Protests

N/A

Elections

3

Other political turmoil

N/A

Internet law

Currently restricting social media platforms

Facebook

2009, July

X (formerly Twitter)

2009, July

Youtube

2009, July

Instagram

2016, September

Telegram

2016, July

Whatsapp

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

India
India
August 17, 2024
Internet suspended in Udaipur, Rajasthan amid communal tension.
Source
Russia
Russia
August 9, 2024
Metrics show Russia has restricted Signal messaging app backends on most internet providers; regulator Roskomnadzor states that the ban has been imposed to prevent Signal's use for "extremist" purposes; the app remains usable with "censorship circumvention" enabled
Source
Venezuela
Venezuela
August 9, 2024
Live metrics show X (formerly Twitter) is now restricted in Venezuela as contested president Maduro orders regulator Conatel to ban the platform for 10 days, claiming that it promotes civil war
Source
Bangladesh
Bangladesh
August 2, 2024
As protests against the Sheikh Hasina administration continue in Bangladesh, reports are emerging that the country has blocked several social media platforms. Facebook and WhatsApp, two widely used social media platforms, are reportedly inaccessible in Bangladesh as of today.
Source