January 2024 | Here's what's happened in the last month.
Internet Shutdowns in 2023: 18 countries, 124 events, 2,370 days of disruptions
As of the end of 2023, governments and other actors across 18 countries intentionally disrupted Internet connectivity or blocked access to specific Internet services for their citizens.
Of the 124 events Pulse tracked across the year, including four that continued from last year, 55 were nationwide disruptions lasting from a couple of hours to a week, culminating in more than 2,370 days of disruptions.
The Ethiopia government decision to block popular social media and messaging services (TikTok, Facebook, Telegram, YouTube) nationally for 158 days amid religious tensions and calls for anti-government protests, cost the country nearly USD $43 million in lost GDP.
Iraq authorities ordered the most shutdowns out of all countries (n=45), most of which were enacted as part of the government’s strategy to curb cheating during its national curriculum exams.
People living in the state of Manipurexperienced the longest-running shutdown in India. Apart from a five-day hiatus in August, mobile Internet services have been hampered since May 2023!
Myanmarcontinued to block Internet service throughout 2023. By 2 February 2024, it will have been three years since it has done so, resulting in more than USD $225 million in lost GDP revenue and 660 jobs!
By February 2024, Russia's two year blocking of international Internet services will have resulted in USD $3 billion in lost GDP and more than USD $760 million in lost FDI!
We love measuring the health of the Internet, but we also love measuring how our audience engages with our work and listening to any suggestions you may have.
We’d appreciate if you could take 7 minutes to answer our newsletter subscriber survey. The survey closes 5 March 2024 UTC 12:00.
If you have any questions, please contact us at pulse@isoc.org. Thanks for sharing your opinions with us!
Have a story or research to share? Email us pulse@isoc.org
Internet Shutdowns
The Comoros 17-19 Jan: Internet connectivity was severely disrupted during unrest and protests following the re-election of President Azali Assoumani.
India 7 Jan: Internet services were suspended in several districts of Rajasthan, India, to prevent malpractices surrounding the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) examination.
Guinea, 24 Nov - Ongoing: Social media and video streaming services continue to be afected by ongoing service blocking actions.
Palestine, 7 Oct - Ongoing: Internet services continue to be hampered by ongoing conflict and power outages.
Ethiopia, 6 Aug - Ongoing: Internet connectivity and access to social media and messaging apps continues to be affected in the Amhara region.
India, 31 July - Ongoing: Authorities ordered mobile Internet services to be suspended in the Nuh district of Haryana after communal clashes.
