Between 2010 and 2012, the Arab Spring evidenced that the Social Networks they could be a weapon of revolution for citizens under the yoke of all kinds of dictatorships. However, the massive social protests of those years also made the autocratic rulers aware that controlling access to Internet was to control the population. More than a decade later, this practice to curtail the Freedom of expression is increasingly common. Only in 2022, governments and other actors cut the net at least 187 times in 35 countries, a new record, according to the annual report of the oenagé Access Now.
“Closings were imposed during you protestactive conflicts, school exams, elections, periods of political instability or high-profile events, such as religious holidays and visits by government officials, with the aim of imposing control and quieting voices,” says the study. “Most of these closures also served as a cover for the perpetrators to commit abuses against them human rights with impunity”.
The report, published on Tuesday, certifies that last year, more countries than ever blocked web access. At least since 2016, the year in which this organization for the defense of digital rights began to study these interruptions. To do this, they have taken into account forced shutdowns, the slowing down of internet speed and the suspension of both telephone networks like the veto on social platforms.
India, digital censor
For the fifth consecutive year, the india it is the country that has caused blockades the most times, 84. The government of the Hindu ultranationalist Narendra Modi he has used the control of the internet not only to spread his political propaganda more easily, but also to suppress dissent. In January, Nova Delhi blocked the digital broadcast of a BBC documentary critical of the prime minister by removing him from both YouTube com de Twitter.
In recent years, Modi has given himself new powers that allow authorities to shut down the networks of telecommunications in moments of protest, intercepting citizens’ messages and banning channels that go against the official line.
2022, black year
Apart from India, the biggest digital censor, this practice is spreading around the world. Thus, the number of blocked internet access in countries other than India exceeded 100 for the first time. Nine countries (Bangladesh, India, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Burma, Sudan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine) apply at least four cuts, another record. “During the political turmoil, the movements of protestthe violence and active conflicts, millions of people in these nine countries suffered frequent and severe shutdowns with alarming regularity,” the AccessNow report says.
With 22 blackouts, the second country on the list is Ukraine. However, these cases of disconnection were orchestrated by Russia within the framework of his invasion of the neighboring country. Throughout the last year of guerrathose of Vladimir Putin have launched attacks to deliberately destroy Ukrainian telecommunications infrastructure and cyber attacks as a strategy for destabilization. Even so, access to technology tipper has allowed a Quiiv avoid these cuts and maintain the context between the Government, the Army and the public.
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L’Iranwith 18 cuts, i burma, with 7, occupy the third and fourth positions on the list. The regime of the ayatollahs escalated theirs digital repression to try to stop the public protests that spread across the country following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman beaten by the police for not wearing her full head veil. In the case of the former burmathe military regime imposed long blackouts for several periods to leave resistance against the coup plotters in the dark.
The extent of this practice has raised the concern of the United Nations, which has demanded that governments not opt for this drastic route. Not only because of cutting off access to the internet, but because this can be used to silence more serious barbarities. “It can be a big warning sign of the deterioration of the situation of the human rights», said Liz Throssell, spokeswoman for l’ON in Geneva “Closings are usually associated with higher levels of insecurity and other restrictions.”