"On 11 March 2026, Access Now, a nonprofit organisation that protects the digital rights of vulnerable communities, urgently called on the Iranian authorities to restore full internet access and to refrain from imposing further disruptions.

The organisation reemphasised that “internet shutdowns in conflict zones have life-and-death consequences. They put civilians at risk of death, injury, and illness, cause psychological trauma and mental distress, disrupt livelihoods, and block people’s access to essentials for survival like food and medicine. They also block journalists and human rights defenders, weaken social cohesion, and cause lasting socio-economic harm long after connectivity is restored”.

Internet shutdowns are not new.

Access Now defines them as an “intentional disruption of internet or electronic communications” for a specific population or within a location.

In its STOP dataset, the organisation has documented close to 2,000 internet shutdowns between 2016 and 2024, with the number of blackouts rising since 2020. The team relies on a context-driven methodology, manually verifying each event through local media, United Nations contacts, and regional partners to determine the primary cause behind internet shutdowns."

https://euobserver.com/209980/reporting-when-the-internet-goes-dark/

#InternetShutdowns #DigitalRights #Iran #Censorship

Digital Hopes, Real Power: The Rise Of Network Shutdowns

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.techdirt.com/2026/04/22/digital-hopes-real-power-the-rise-of-network-shutdowns/

A danger to democracy and contagious: #internetshutdowns spread in Africa and between authoritarian regimes.

Technology and infrastructure comes from global actors (hello 🇩🇪 in Iran, 🇨🇦 in Sudan), they are the ones that need to stop this.

https://netzpolitik.org/2026/internet-shutdowns-in-africa-a-human-rights-and-democratic-crisis/#netzpolitik-pw

Interesting article which confirms more than it reveals:
https://www.counteroffensive.news/p/how-irans-internet-blackouts-work

Reminder: U.S. law allows similar authority.
“Upon proclamation of a national emergency, the President may… suspend or amend rules applicable to wire or radio communications, or close any station.” — 47 U.S.C. §606 (Communications Act of 1934)

Plan resilience accordingly.

#InternetShutdowns #DigitalResilience #EmergencyPowers #CivilLiberties #CommsPolicy #Decentralization #Mesh #Reticulum

🚨 How can Taiwan fight back against Internet shutdowns? Superbloom’s report based on in-person workshops at @COSCUP reveals the crucial roles of taxi drivers, satellites, and innovative tech solutions in keeping people connected during disruptions or Internet shutdowns. Explore the surprising heroes and design strategies shaping digital resilience in Taiwan.

https://superbloom.design/learning/blog/report-launch-design-for-internet-shutdowns-in-taiwan-taxi-drivers-satellites-and-tech-the-surprising-heroes-in-taiwans-fight-against-internet-shutdowns/

#InternetShutdowns #Taiwan #OpenTech #DigitalResilience #Superbloom

>>> Security at what cost? Mobile data shutdown pushes Pakistan’s Balochistan further into isolation

As Pakistan’s largest province, Balochistan has faced chronic underdevelopment, even while serving as a hub of the country’s natural mineral resources. In a province already isolated by geography and decades of state neglect, this digital blackout has severed connectivity for over 14 million people.

----> Read more: https://www.apc.org/en/blog/security-what-cost-mobile-data-shutdown-pushes-pakistans-balochistan-further-isolation

#Pakistan #Balochistan #KeepItOn #InternetShutdowns

"This study was conducted by Digitally Right in collaboration with the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI). Key contributors include Tohidul Islam Raso from Digitally Right and Maria Xynou from OONI. Suhadha Afrin, a Tech Policy Fellow at Digitally Right and journalist at Prothom Alo, also contributed to the research and documentation for this report. The research has been reviewed by Miraj Ahmed Chowdhury from Digitally Right.

We are equally grateful to Digitally Right’s Network Measurement Fellows across Bangladesh, whose work in tracking disruptions and documenting censorship during the protests helped verify and strengthen the findings of this report. We also thank the journalists whose extensive coverage of the shutdowns provided a vital foundation for this report and the individuals affiliated with operators and service provider organizations who provided interviews and shared relevant information that informed this analysis.

We hope this report contributes to a clearer understanding of the July–August 2024 internet shutdowns in Bangladesh and serves as a foundation for future research into network disruptions and digital rights in Bangladesh."

https://ooni.org/post/2025-bangladesh-report/

#Bangladesh #Censorship #InternetShutdowns #DigitalRights

"We, the undersigned organizations and members of the #KeepItOn coalition — a global network of more than 345 organizations from 106 countries working to end internet shutdowns —strongly condemn the internet disruptions in the Syrian governorate of Suwayda. We urgently call on the Syrian transitional government to immediately and fully restore internet access and to ensure the protection of people’s right to communicate, organize, and seek safety during times of crisis.

The internet shutdowns and connectivity disruptions in Suwayda occurred in a context of heightened political and sectarian tension that erupted in violence on July 13, 2025. For months, residents of the predominantly Druze region have mobilized, demanding political reforms, economic relief, and the protection of Druze communities in Syria. However, the violent clashes that broke out between local Druze and Bedouin armed groups, and government security forces, exacerbated by Israeli airstrikes, have left over 1,400 people killed, at least 176,000 displaced, and widespread disruption to access to food, water, medicine, fuel, and telecommunications. The shutdowns during these times are a deeply worrying sign in light of reports of journalists being blocked from entering the region and serious human rights abuses, including summary executions and the indiscriminate killings of men, women, and children, kidnapping, attacks on healthcare, as well as the looting and torching of local homes and shops.

Data from the Internet Outage Detection and Analysis (IODA) project confirmed a near-complete loss of internet connectivity in Suwayda since July 14, 2025, consistent with a potential intentional shutdown, one day after the breakout of violence on July 13, 2025."

https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/syrian-government-must-restore-internet-access-in-suwayda/

#Syria #Censorship #InternetShutdowns