India on No. 1 in Internet shutdown: Disabled Access 84 Times

Summary: In 2021, India stopped access to the internet among people for about 1,157 hours which made a major loss of 582.8 million dollars or can be said of around 4,300 crore rupees. Not only this, but it also impacted the lives of more than 5.9 crore people. On average, last year, the administration shut down the internet about 84 times in the country. And the reasons behind the internet shutdown are exams, elections, violence, and demonstrations.

Brief: In many countries, access to the internet is disabled for the sake of the nation’s security, but this is not the case here in India every time. India has been in the first position for the past five years when it comes to internet shutdowns the maximum number of times. Internet shutdown has been taking place in India since 2016. All this data and information is derived from the reports of Access Now and KeepItOn Coalition.

Internet Shutdown 84 Times in a Year

Last year, the internet was shut down around 84 times in the country by the administration. As per the inside sources, the major reasons behind the continuous internet shutdown are professional exams, demonstrations, violence among people, and elections in various sectors. In the previous year, i.e., 2022, there were 49 times of internet shutdowns solely in Jammu and Kashmir, out of which 16 times the internet was disabled continuously, and this took place between January and February 2022. Rajasthan grabs the second position after Jammu and Kashmir, where the internet services have been shut down more than 12 times in a year. After Rajasthan, West Bengal came in the third position, and their people witnessed the internet shutdown about seven times.

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Internet shutdown has continued in India since 2016

Since 2016, there has been a continuous internet shutdown in India. Not only this, but India’s share in global internet shutdowns has reached 58 per cent. Currently, internet shutdown orders are given under the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017. All the rules that are made by the DoT state to the public that temporary suspensions of net services may be “due to a public emergency or public safety.” The power of the internet shutdown in India is in the hands of the Ministry of Home Affairs at the central and state levels as they are responsible and take action related to web services.

Internet shutdown in India for more than 1,157 hours in 2021

In the year 2021, a total round-off of 30,000 hours of internet shutdown was seen all over the world, which caused a loss of $ 5.45 billion or can be said as about 40,300 crore INR. India was at the number three position on the list of countries that suffered the most from that shutdown. In India, around 1,157 hours of the internet were shut down in 2021, causing a loss of $ 582.8 million, or can be said as about Rs 4,300 crore. Because of this, almost 5.9 million people were also affected as it impacted their daily life too. The country’s capital New Delhi also had a long internet shutdown during the farmers’ movement or protest in which a lot of violence and causalities happened.

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