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According to the latest Access Now report, India witnessed the highest number of internet shutdowns in 2020. Of the 155 internet shutdowns that were imposed globally, India accounted for 109, according to the report.

In 2019 as well, India was among the worst internet shut down offenders with 121 shutdowns out of 213 global internet shutdowns.

“When compared to 2018 and 2019, this is a lower number of shutdowns. However, the smaller number of shutdowns is not an indication of the lessened impact of a shutdown or an overall increase in digital rights,” the report stated.

The impact of the internet shutdowns was an add-on to the mayhem caused by the pandemic. “The choice to shut down the internet during a global pandemic had a compounded effect on the most vulnerable around the world. For example, before getting cut off, the Rohingya in Myanmar could take classes online. With the shutdown and lockdown in effect, they were left without a vital pathway to get educated,” the report said.

Ethiopia, Yemen, Bangladesh and Myanmar also featured on the list of worst internet shutdown offenders.

The situation in India

The report mentioned, “In India, which consistently shuts down the internet more than any country in the world, the official justification does not always match the reality on the ground. The government may justify most shutdowns as precautionary, but India has a history of ordering shutdowns targeting political demonstrations, a trend that appears to be accelerating and spreading across all Indian states and union territories.”

One of the key reasons for the internet shutdown was the response to any sort of violence. For example, when CAA protests were going violent in India, the government resorted to an internet shutdown to stop the spread of fake news. This was the notable trend mentioned in the Access Now report.

Around 10 internet shutdowns happened last year during the election period. “India shut down the internet numerous times in all Jammu and Kashmir districts in anticipation of the District Development Council constituencies by-elections,” the report mentioned.

“In some instances, when the inspector general of police for Kashmir shuts down 2G mobile internet, which is later confirmed by the home department of the government of Jammu and Kashmir, they also suspend voice calling and SMS services, leaving people in the area cut, including journalists, entirely off the grid and unable to access alternative means of communications.”

There were also shutdowns in India for other reasons in 2020. The report added, “In West Bengal, the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and the state government’s Home Department previously introduced a curfew-style internet blackout during the Madhyamik (secondary school) examinations, cutting off internet access every day during certain hours. This internet curfew lasted for more than nine days. However, in 2019, the Jodhpur bench of the Rajasthan High Court warned the state government that it could not order internet shutdowns during exams because it is beyond the scope of the Temporary Suspension of the Telcom Services (Public Emergency and Public Safety) Rules of 2017.”