09/01/2021

Governments Keep Shutting off the Internet

This happens despite greater dependence on it

Governments around the world continue to restrict or shut down internet access to stifle internal dissent, a form of censorship that was especially devastating during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report from Google’s Jigsaw research group.

While the total number of shutdowns fell somewhat last year, the total duration of shutdowns rose 49 percent in 2020, according to the report, which draws on data from Access Now, a nonprofit that has been studying shutdowns since 2016.

During the pandemic, shutdowns disrupted people’s employment and schooling as virus restrictions prevented in-person meetings. But some shutdowns were even more costly. Recent extended shutdowns in Myanmar after a February military coup are estimated to have cost the country’s economy $2.1 billion—and kept people from learning about the coronavirus for months into the pandemic. And in Kashmir, people were unable to download contact tracing apps because of internet shutdowns, according to the report.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Fast Company.