Governments around the world imposed a record number of internet shutdowns in 2024, with 296 shutdowns across 54 countries, according to a new report by Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition. This marks a significant increase from the 283 shutdowns in 39 countries recorded in 2023. Conflict remained the leading cause of internet shutdowns for the second year in a row.
Perpetrators used various tactics to disrupt connectivity, including jamming devices, severing cables, destroying infrastructure, and sabotaging service providers. Cross-border shutdowns also saw a sharp rise, with Russia’s actions in Ukraine, Israel’s in Gaza, and shutdowns by Thailand and China in Myanmar. Myanmar topped the global list with 85 internet shutdowns, primarily imposed by the military government targeting a population resisting its dictatorship four years after the coup.
India, previously at the top in 2023, fell to second place with 84 shutdowns, while Pakistan recorded its highest-ever total with 21 shutdowns. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region experienced 41 internet shutdowns across 17 countries in 2024, a decrease from 77 in 2023. However, the number of affected countries increased from 15 to 17.
Global increase in internet shutdowns
Israel led the region with six shutdowns, systematically cutting off connectivity and destroying telecommunication infrastructure despite international criticism. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) also weaponized shutdowns during their ongoing conflict, disrupting access to vital services for millions.
The MENA region continued to lead globally in exam-related shutdowns, with 10 disruptions across five countries, including Algeria, Iraq, and Syria, under the pretext of preventing cheating. The report highlights the severe impact of internet shutdowns on people’s lives. “I can only plan and organize when the internet returns, leaving our lives at the mercy of these shutdowns,” said a retired professor from Venezuela.
A journalist from Gaza Strip, Palestine, recounted, “When I was displaced with my family to Rafah, my husband stayed behind in Gaza City. When the internet went down in northern Gaza, we lived in fear for over a month and a half. We had no news of my husband until he managed to regain access to the internet using an Israeli SIM card.”
Despite ongoing efforts by civil society to document and counteract the human harms of internet shutdowns, the latest findings demonstrate that perpetrators are intensifying their efforts to silence, censor, and suppress people with impunity.
Access Now emphasizes that even one shutdown is one too many, and the struggle to end internet shutdowns continues.
