When Governments Shut Down the Internet

Do you instinctively reach for your smartphone from the moment you awake? It’s easy to take for granted that an online connection provides you with the weather for the day, the latest news, work messages, and instant communication with anyone in the world.

But try to imagine if increasing political unrest prompts your government to shut down the internet and your access to cellular data.

There is a worrying trend emerging where internet shutdowns are being increasingly normalized. Examples can be found as far back as Egypt’s 2011 revolution and a failed Turkish military coup in 2016. Belarus also went offline during an election, and more recently, many people found themselves caught in crossfire in the Gaza Strip and unable to communicate or get news updates.

Given motives can be anything from preventing the spreading of misinformation to silencing critics of an authoritarian government.

But in a world where access to the internet may be seen as a necessity, we investigate the rising trend of internet shutdowns and how they can occur when you least expect them.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Internet Blackouts and the Threat to Global Connectivity
3. Bangladesh's Internet Shutdown Takes 170 Million Offline For 10 Days
4. The Bottom Line
5. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Internet Blackouts and the Threat to Global Connectivity
3. Bangladesh's Internet Shutdown Takes 170 Million Offline For 10 Days
Show Full Guide
4. The Bottom Line
5. References

Internet Blackouts and the Threat to Global Connectivity

Time Magazine called 2023 the worst year for Internet shutdowns. The Internet kill switch can remove citizens’ access to websites, social media, and messaging apps much quicker than many realize. Entire towns, cities, nations, and even regions can suddenly go offline for hours, days, weeks — even months.

With over 4 billion people eligible to vote in an election in 2024, recent events suggest internet backouts could be much closer to home than you might think. This is especially true considering that, according to the Internet Society, there have already been 87 internet shutdowns this year.

Bangladesh’s Internet Shutdown Takes 170 Million Offline For 10 Days

Internet shutdowns can happen when you least expect it. In Bangladesh, the problems began with anti-government protests that violently erupted between the police and protesters. As the situation escalated, more than 200 people lost their lives in July 2024.

The government attempted to quash further dissent by imposing a curfew and a complete communications blackout that would include shutting down internet access across the nation for ten days.

First, there was a five-day complete internet blackout at the start of August. Low-speed broadband connectivity returned after five days. However, Bangladeshis would have to wait a little longer for mobile data to return. Even after internet connectivity was restored, access to social media remained blocked.

Following a shutdown of #mobile #Internet connectivity on Sunday, #Bangladesh experienced a near-complete nationwide #Internet shutdown this morning, apparently related to renewed protests. Both traffic and announced IP address space began to fall around 04:30 UTC, recovering… pic.twitter.com/68CQNU6gd0

— Cloudflare Radar (@CloudflareRadar) August 5, 2024

With no access to communication platforms, families and friends could no longer communicate digitally. Ride-sharing services and online workers were also unable to work, and without access to online banking or payment services, the economic consequences quickly hit communities.

VPNs became a lifeline that would enable them to access banned sites when partial internet access was restored, but low speeds made it very difficult to continue as usual. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident.

According to Surfshark: “One in eight countries to hold elections in 2024 has restricted internet access amid elections since 2015.”

Being cut off from the ones you love and the outside world during a period of conflict sounds like an Orwellian nightmare. But it’s a trend that sadly looks set to continue. The weaponization of internet blackouts to silence and isolate voices is increasing and impacting hundreds of millions of citizens every year.

Infrastructure Failures and Internet Blackouts

Earlier this year, Africa hit the headlines after losing its internet connection due to under-ocean fiber optic cable failures. But this was just one aspect of the continent’s long battle to stay online this year.

East Africa hit by a major internet outage after two submarine cables that connect South Africa and Kenya experienced faults on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/p3rnUAOpRm

— Calvin Mutsinzi (@CalvinMutsinzi) May 12, 2024

South Africa has also been dealing with an energy crisis since 2008. In an attempt to manage the strain on the national grid, authorities implemented a “load shedding” policy which consisted of scheduled power outages. By 2022, many communities were still left in darkness without power for up to 8 hours a day.?

Rising costs, falling revenues, crumbling infrastructure, and mismanagement impacted every aspect of life across the region. The government introduced schedules and mobile apps to help people plan for outages.

Load shedding in South Africa is wild. Every night we just sit in the dark for a few hours and talk with a lamp in the middle of the room because there's no electricity and nothing else to do? Feels like a forced time out every day and everyone seems to quite enjoy it lol

— Derek du Preez (@Derek_duPreez) January 5, 2024

South Africans finally have much to celebrate with an uninterrupted electricity supply since March. However, 7,500 miles away in Cuba, citizens continue to experience regularly scheduled power cuts that last up to 18 hours a day. The removal of power takes the proud nation offline and also impacts other areas we take for granted, such as food storage.

Internet service returned in Cuba at 7:54 UTC (3:54am local) earlier today following a second internet blackout in as many days.

This 2nd internet shutdown lasted almost 8 hours. #KeepitOn #CubaPaLaCalle pic.twitter.com/YpNuAnZ9D4

— Doug Madory (@DougMadory) October 1, 2022

In some parts of the world, the privileged few turn up their air conditioning to avoid hot temperatures. So spare a thought for those living in South Africa and Cuba whose energy and infrastructure challenges significantly impact their daily life.

The Bottom Line

The debate about using internet shutdowns to combat political dissent and infrastructure challenges looks set to continue. Our reliance on power and an online connection in modern society is also increasingly seen as a vulnerability that others will try to exploit by simply pulling the plug.

The next time you reach for your smartphone to catch up with what’s happening with family, friends, and beyond, ask yourself how prepared you would be if your government decided to unplug you from the Matrix.