Longest internet shutdown in 2023 took place in Manipur amidst human rights violations: Report

A report by Top10VPN said that the cost of India’s internet shutdowns was $585.4 million and they affected over 59 million people in 2023

India imposed around 30 major internet shutdowns last year [File] | Photo Credit: REUTERS

India shut down the internet for over 7,000 hours last year, with the longest blackout taking place from May to December amidst ethnic clashes and violence in Manipur, reported Top10VPN on January 2.

The country imposed around 30 major internet shutdowns last year, which came at a cost of $585.4 million and affected 59.1 million people, whilst the right to peaceful protest and press freedom were violated, according to the research.

“As in previous years, these internet outages were highly localized to specific districts, cities and even villages, and tended to be in response to civil unrest, often preemptively,” said Top10VPN in its analysis of India’s internet shutdowns.

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Social media was shut down for around 144 hours in total, per the report.

“Although social media shutdowns are much less common in India than elsewhere in the world, authorities in the state of Bihar blocked multiple social media platforms in April following clashes during a religious festival,” said Top10VPN.

India ranked fifth in terms of the economic loss suffered due to internet shutdowns, while Russia came in first with a cost of $4.02 billion. Meanwhile, internet shutdowns in Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Iran crossed 10,000 hours each last year.

While Pakistan’s internet was shut down for 259 hours last year, 82.9 million people were affected and the right to peaceful protest was violated, according to the report.