Shutdown Tracker Optimization Project News Today

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) feels that a selective ban on popular over-the-top (OTT) platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Telegram would encourage seamless continuity of essential Internet-driven services such as financial transactions, e-healthcare, and online education.

India’s media crackdown goes far beyond the BBC – and it is the country’s independent journalists and news houses that are most vulnerable to attack.

The country topped charts for blackouts for a 5th consecutive time; 2022 also saw highest total number of shutdowns worldwide

Since 2016, India has accounted for approximately 58% of all shutdowns documented in the Shutdown Tracker Optimization Project (STOP database). India has also beaten Ukraine, which is at number 2 this year. India is the only G20 country that has imposed an internet shutdown more than twice. Russia and Brazil are the other two courtiers that enforced two and one internet shutdowns respectively in 2022.

November 4, 2022 marks two years of deliberate and sustained internet shutdowns that continue to fracture the lives of nearly six million people in Tigray and millions beyond. Two years in the dark is two years too long. Stand with people in Ethiopia, sign the petition, join Access Now and our partner organizations and individuals to urge the authorities to #KeepItOn!

The #KeepItOn bloc has been fighting Web shutoffs since 2016