Shutting off the internet, it appears, is the newest and most popular means of repression.
Denying internet service has now become a de facto means (CNN) of suppression by governments around the world. This year alone, at least 29 nations—including Venezuela, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Kazakhstan, and Indonesia—have shut down the web to prevent the spread of information those governments deem dangerous. According to data from Access Now—a digital rights policy non-profit—as of July the world was on pace to exceed the number of annual government-ordered web shutdowns than ever before, and that was before the events in India and elsewhere.
Documented internet shutdowns worldwide
2016: 75
2017: 106
2018: 196
2019: 128
read more (qz)
Denying internet service has now become a de facto means (CNN) of suppression by governments around the world. This year alone, at least 29 nations—including Venezuela, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Kazakhstan, and Indonesia—have shut down the web to prevent the spread of information those governments deem dangerous. According to data from Access Now—a digital rights policy non-profit—as of July the world was on pace to exceed the number of annual government-ordered web shutdowns than ever before, and that was before the events in India and elsewhere.
Documented internet shutdowns worldwide
2016: 75
2017: 106
2018: 196
2019: 128
read more (qz)
