India imposed 84 internet shutdowns in 2024: Report

A report by digital rights organization 'Access Now' has revealed that India topped the highest number of internet shutdowns for any democratic country while Myanmar where military junta rules imposed 85 internet blackouts.

The report stated that 2024 saw a sharp increase in internet shutdowns as governments across 54 nations imposed a total of 296 blackouts with 84 alone in India.

In 2023, the figure was 283 shutdowns in 39 countries.

India has topped the list of internet blackouts for the sixth consecutive year, making it the highest among democratic nations.

Experts have criticized frequent disruptions, warning that they weaken India’s ambitions for global leadership in digital governance and artificial intelligence.

Meanwhile, Pakistan reported 21 shutdowns, the highest ever recorded for the country. Russia imposed 19 shutdowns, while seven were reported in Ukraine.

“Despite a modest decrease in shutdowns from 2023 [116 internet shutdowns], India still imposed 84 in 2024, the most disruptions ordered in a democracy that year,” the report published on Feb 24 stated.

The data mentioned that 41 shutdowns in India were linked to protests, 23 were imposed due to communal violence and five were enforced during government job placement examinations.

Manipur had the highest number of shutdowns within the country (21), followed by Haryana (12) and Jammu & Kashmir (12). It also stated that at least 16 Indian states and Union Territories had at least one internet shutdown.

The conflict remains the leading cause of internet shutdowns in 2024 globally, with 103 shutdowns recorded in 11 countries due to war and violence.

Other major reasons included protests (74 shutdowns), exams (16 shutdowns), and elections (12 shutdowns).

Many countries also used shutdowns as a means to hide human rights abuses, such as targeting civilians and blocking humanitarian aid.

The report also raised concerns about the recently introduced Telecommunications Act 2023 and the Telecom Suspension Rules 2024 in India, which include colonial-era provisions from the Telegraph Act of 1885.

The report also raised concerns about India’s recently introduced Telecommunications Act 2023 and the Telecom Suspension Rules 2024, which retain colonial-era provisions from the Telegraph Act of 1885.

Critics argue that the legislation does not have an independent oversight mechanism which leaves shutdown orders review and decision-making process to government officials.