India has once again topped the list of countries with the highest number of internet shutdowns in 2022, marking it the fifth consecutive year to end at the top of the list, according to a report published by internet advocacy watchdog Access Now, on Tuesday.
The report stated that out of the 187 internet shutdowns recorded globally, 84 occurred in India, including 49 in Indian-administered Kashmir.
“Authorities disrupted internet access at least 49 times in Kashmir due to political instability and violence, including a string of 16 back-to-back orders for three-day-long curfew-style shutdowns in January and February 2022,” the watchdog report added.
The government has regularly imposed communications restrictions in Kashmir on security grounds, which digital rights groups have condemned and described as measures to quash dissent.
Although India has once again topped the list, 2022 marked the first time since 2017 that there were fewer than 100 shutdowns in the country, according to the watchdog.
The report by Access Now highlights the increasing trend of governments using internet shutdowns as a tool to control and suppress dissent. Internet shutdowns not only violate freedom of expression and access to information but also significantly impact businesses, education, and healthcare services that rely on the internet.
Ukraine on Second
Following India, Ukraine was second on the list with the Russian military cutting access to the internet at least 22 times after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
“During Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian military cut internet access at least 22 times, engaging in cyber-attacks and deliberately destroying telecommunications infrastructure,” the watchdog report stated.
Iran ranked third
Iran was ranked third on the list, with authorities imposing 18 internet shutdowns in 2022 in response to demonstrations against the government.
Nationwide anti-government protests erupted in Iran last fall after the death of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in police custody on September 16 last year. Amini was arrested in Tehran by the morality police for flouting the hijab rules, which require women to cover their hair and bodies entirely. She died while in custody.