{"id":47818,"date":"2022-08-04T10:08:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-04T10:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/government-imposed-internet-shutdowns-impacted-1-9-billion-people-in-first-half-of-2022\/"},"modified":"2022-08-04T10:08:00","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T10:08:00","slug":"government-imposed-internet-shutdowns-impacted-1-9-billion-people-in-first-half-of-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/government-imposed-internet-shutdowns-impacted-1-9-billion-people-in-first-half-of-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Government-imposed internet shutdowns impacted 1.9 billion people in first half of 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Internet shutdowns by governments across the world impacted 1.89 billion citizens globally in the first half of 2022, a 22% increase when compared with the second half of 2021.<\/p>\n

A recent report compiled by VPN service provider Surfshark found there were 66 state-mandated internet blackouts imposed across six countries and territories during the period: Burkina Faso, India, Jammu and Kashmir, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and Sudan. Local shutdowns were observed in India, Jammu and Kashmir region, and Pakistan, while Burkina Faso, Kazakhstan, and Sudan chose to cut down internet connections nationwide.<\/p>\n

While there was an overall decrease in the number of internet shutdowns during the period\u201472 cases in the first half of 2022 compared with 84 reported in the second half of 2021\u2014the number of people impacted was much higher, as reliance on the internet has increased globally.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see a positive trend of internet restriction cases going down this half of the year. Nevertheless, the number of countries that use internet disruptions as a weapon to silence citizens\u2019 unrest remains worryingly high,\u201d Agneska Sablovskaja, lead researcher at Surfshark said in a statement. \u201cMost cases are of national or local magnitude where the internet is slowed or completely shut down, leaving its people without most of their communication means.\u201d<\/p>\n

Censorship is spreading across the globe<\/h2>\n

The Surfshark research highlighted that social media censorship cases this year spread through all continents.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the first half of 2022, Surfshark recorded six incidents in five countries: Brazil, Burkina Faso, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe have all shut down their social media once, and Russia twice, with one case still ongoing. The most common reasons for censorship were political turmoil and protests,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n