India no longer world’s top internet shutdown offender, but still among worst: Report

India did not impose the highest number of internet shutdowns globally in 2024 for the first time in six years, digital rights organisation Access Now said on Monday. Instead, Myanmar recorded the most shutdowns.

More internet shutdowns were reported worldwide in 2024 than in any previous year, the organisation said.

In its report, Emboldened Offenders, Endangered Communities: Internet Shutdowns in 2024, Access Now recorded 85 internet shutdowns in Myanmar last year.

India was the second-worst offender with 84 shutdowns, the report said. “For the first time since 2018, [India] was not the leading offender but still imposed an unacceptably high number of shutdowns as the world’s largest democracy.”

Shutdowns were recorded in 16 states and Union Territories, with Manipur reporting the most at 21, followed by Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, each with 12.

Of the 84 shutdowns, 41 were linked to protests and 23 to communal violence, the report said.

Manipur has seen ethnic violence between the dominant Meitei community and the tribal Kuki-Zomi-Hmar communities since May 2023, leaving at least 258 dead and displacing more than 59,000 people.

Internet services were also suspended in India to prevent cheating in exams and during elections.

Pakistan recorded 21 shutdowns, followed by Russia (13), Ukraine (7), Palestine (6) and Bangladesh (5), Access Now said.

The organisation recorded 296 internet shutdowns across 54 countries...

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