ENDING INTERNET SHUTDOWNS
Internet shutdowns are always an attack on human rights. When people are disconnected, it impacts all aspects of life — from work and education, to medical care and banking. Shutdowns block journalism, restrict free expression and community organizing, and prevent documentation of human rights abuses. During conflict and crisis, they stop people from accessing life-saving information and humanitarian aid.
CAMPAIGN
KeepItOn: why we’re updating our internet shutdown tracking methodology
Documenting internet shutdowns around the world shines a light on a weapon that keeps people in the dark. The Shutdown Tracker Optimization Project (STOP), an extensive dataset of nearly 1,750 shutdowns that have occurred since 2016, supports civil society in holding governments and perpetrators accountable for blatant human rights violations.
RESOURCES
Freedom of Expression
Tell MENA authorities: #NoExamShutdown
Year after year, the MENA region has led the world in exam-related shutdowns. With the 2024 exam season in the region quickly approaching, it’s time to take action and demand change! #NoExamShutdown
Content Governance
2025 elections and internet shutdowns watch
Governments around the world continue to shut down the internet during elections. Join our 2025 elections watch to #KeepItOn.
Freedom of Expression
The most violent year: internet shutdowns in 2023
Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition documented 283 internet shutdowns in 2023 — the highest number since 2016.
Digital Security
Taxonomy of a shutdown: 8 ways governments restrict access to the internet, and how to #KeepItOn
Our new guide explains the technology behind network interference to help people prepare for, circumvent, and document internet shutdowns.
Internet Shutdowns
KeepItOn: frequently asked questions
#KeepItOn: A global movement to end internet shutdowns 1. What is the #KeepItOn campaign? It’s a campaign launched by Access Now in 2016 to help unite and organize the efforts of activists
Freedom of Expression
Have questions about internet shutdowns? Kill Switch has answers
Why aren’t internet shutdowns illegal? Are there ways to bypass them? Can we fight internet shutdowns in court? Does anyone see a way to end shutdowns, once and for all? Kill Switch podcast has the answers.
Internet Shutdowns
Internet shutdowns and elections handbook
Internet shutdowns and elections handbook A guide for election observers, embassies, activists, and journalists [Leer en español] [Читайте на русском] This handbook explains how internet shutdowns undermine democractic elections and
Connectivity
Palestine unplugged: how Israel disrupts Gaza’s internet
This report illustrates the state of Gaza’s internet throughout October 2023 by looking at internet traffic by ISPs and locations.
Advocating to #KeepItOn during elections: what you can do
Latest updates
Petition: help end the internet shutdown in Annobón
#KeepItOn pide a la Comisión Africana de Derechos Humanos y de los Pueblos que ayude a poner fin al apagón de internet en Annóbon
Nos dirigimos a usted, Comisionada Topsy-Sonoo, a la Comisión Africana de Derechos Humanos y de los Pueblos, y a los Estados parte de la Carta Africana, para que condenen las violaciones de derechos humanos cometidas por el gobierno de Guinea Ecuatorial, denuncien el prolongado apagón, y contribuyan a restablecer el acceso al internet en Annobón.
#KeepItOn call on the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to help end the shutdown in Annobón
We are petitioning you, Commissioner Topsy-Sonoo, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and individual state signatories to the African Charter to condemn the Equatorial Guinea government’s human rights violations, the prolonged shutdown, and to help reestablish internet access in Annobón.
La coalición #KeepItOn intensifica su campaña para detener el apagón de internet que sufre Annobón
Access Now y la coalición #KeepItOn han lanzado hoy una campaña para movilizar el apoyo internacional y exigir el fin del actual apagón de internet en Annobón, una provincia insular de Guinea Ecuatorial.
#KeepItOn coalition ramps up campaign to end prolonged shutdown in Annobón
Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition have today launched a campaign to galvanize international support in demanding an end to the ongoing internet shutdown in Annobón, an island province of Equatorial Guinea.
Why Annobón’s internet shutdown should matter to the world
The ongoing internet shutdown in Annobón has cut off 5,300 residents from each other, from their loved ones abroad, and from the world, even as the government of Equatorial Guinea continues cracking down on dissent.
¿Por qué el apagón de internet en Annobón debería importarle a todo el mundo?
El contínuo apagón digital en Annobón ha dejado a 5,300 residentes sin poder comunicarse entre ellos, con sus familiares afuera y con el resto del mundo, incluso mientras el gobierno de Guinea Ecuatorial continúa reprimiendo la disidencia.
Tell MENA authorities: #NoExamShutdown
Year after year, the MENA region has led the world in exam-related shutdowns. It’s time to take action and demand change! #NoExamShutdown
Joint statement on protecting human rights online and preventing internet shutdowns in times of armed conflict
Kenya must obey court orders and #KeepItOn during protests
We demand that Kenyan authorities uphold human rights, restore full internet access, and refrain from imposing any future shutdowns in the country.
Panamá debe restablecer el acceso a Internet y telefonía móvil en Bocas del Toro de forma inmediata
#KeepItOn：イスラエルはガザの国際社会からの遮断をやめよ
私たちは、イスラエル当局とすべての関係者に対し、ガザにおけるインターネットと通信サービスへの完全なアクセスを回復するよう求める。
#KeepItOn: Israel must stop cutting Gaza off from the world
We call on authorities in Israel and all relevant actors to restore full access to internet and communication services in Gaza.
Digital ceasefire: the path to peace goes online
In today’s era of digital warfare, digital ceasefires are cornerstones on the pathway to peace. Access Now has been working with peace-building experts to discuss exactly what a digital ceasefire should look like.
نحو مستقبل رقمي آمن وحر في سوريا
رفع العقوبات عن سوريا خطوة مهمة نحو التقدّم، لكن لا يزال أمام السوريين الكثير لبناء مستقبل رقمي حر وآمن ومفتوح.