internet shutdown

In this statement delivered during the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, APC speaks to the deteriorating political situation in India and the increase in violence following the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act. 

GreenNet, the ethical internet service provider that has been connecting people and groups since 1986, suffered a DDoS attack on 22 and 23 November 2019. Forensic examinations revealed that the attack was targeted at an organisation publishing new research that weekend.

This report aims to outline the interruptions and their effects on certain social networks, mobile communications, websites and internet connections in the context of the recent national political crisis and social mobilisation in Ecuador in October 2019 against the austerity measures adopted as part of the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

A coalition of organisations, including APC, call on the Hong Kong authorities to refrain from the invocation of laws that would authorise the restriction or disruption of the internet and other means of communication and to ensure that the internet, including social media, remains open and secure.

APC condemns the prolonged and intentional disruption of communications services in Jammu and Kashmir by the government of India. Communications blackouts often precede other violations of human rights, and given the history of widespread abuse of rights in Kashmir, this is particularly worrying.

APC echoes the deep alarm expressed by the Secretary-General at the opening of this session over the shrinking of civic space online. We highlight the disturbing trend of internet shutdowns, which in violation of international law, restrict a range of rights and harm communities.

This report presents observations on the shutdowns experienced in recent years, and points to a link between the level of authoritarianism in a country and the likelihood of experiencing a network shutdown. It also looks at the economic and social impacts of these disruptions.

Civil disobedience is a tool that some governments on the African continent are increasingly realising can be fuelled and sustained by the internet, and this has seen more governments impose an internet shutdown.