Internet shutdown, a global digital weapon

The Internet has become a double-edged sword in the relationship between authorities and citizens. Its shutdown has become an increasingly common weapon. Afghanistan is the latest case in point.

Starting this week, Afghan authorities imposed an internet and telecommunications shutdown, a measure that is increasingly being used by governments to quell protests or minimize conflicts, AFP reports.

According to the organization Access Now, which specializes in defending digital rights, 296 voluntary internet shutdowns were recorded in 2024, in 54 countries - the highest number ever.

Distribution of the shutdowns: 103 were related to conflicts, 74 protests, 16 to prevent cheating in exams, 12 during election periods.

The most cases were recorded in: Myanmar (85), India (84), Pakistan (21).

• Emblematic cases in recent years

Sudan, since April 2023, with the outbreak of conflict between the army and paramilitaries, telecommunications disruptions have become a weapon of war. In early 2024, a nationwide power outage affected almost 30 million Sudanese for over a month. In Darfur, the internet remains largely inaccessible.

Ethiopia, in November 2020, during the army offensive in Tigray, the north of the country was digitally isolated. Although connections began to be restored in 2022, the disruptions persist.

Myanmar, between June 2019 and February 2021, a complete internet shutdown was imposed in Chin and Rakhine states for 19 months - the longest in the world. The internet was restored two days after the 2021 military coup, but the new regime continued its policy of blockades, with over 400 regional outages recorded since then, a phenomenon described as a "digital coup”.

India, on August 4, 2019, the government in New Delhi cut off the internet in Kashmir to avoid riots after the revocation of the region's autonomy. The restrictions lasted for 552 days, until February 2021.

Iran, in November 2019, during protests over rising gasoline prices, authorities cut the country's links to the global internet for a week. Social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Instagram are currently severely restricted.

Other recent cases: Nepal - blocked dozens of social media sites in September 2025, triggering bloody protests; Tanzania - in May 2024, it restricted access to X (formerly Twitter), citing the dissemination of "pornography” and "homosexuality”, after official government accounts were hacked.

Human rights organizations warn that blocking the Internet has become a systematic practice of authoritarian regimes to control the population. Even in fragile democracies, authorities resort to selective restrictions to reduce social mobilization or to control information in times of crisis.