- in·ter·net shut·down
- noun | /ˈin(t)ərˌnet ˈSHətˌdoun/
- An intentional disruption of internet or electronic communications, rendering them inaccessible or effectively unusable, for a specific population or within a location, often to exert control over the flow of information.
Internet shutdowns happen when governments order companies to cut off access to communications tools — like Twitter, SMS, or Facebook. Unfortunately, companies often comply with these government orders, even when they happen during elections.
Take action to #KeepItOn!Why is this a problem?
Internet shutdowns pose a threat to human rights around the world. They harm everyone: businesses, emergency services, journalism, human rights defenders, and demonstrators. They don’t help victims or restore order. Even worse, they’re increasing — in 2015 alone we recorded more than 15 shutdowns worldwide.
Who’s pushing back
- Acceso Libre
- Access Now
- ACI Participa
- Arab World Internet Institute
- Asociacion por los Derechos Civiles
- Association Djiboutienne des Droits de l’Homme
- Association for Progressive Communications
- Baaroo
- Bahrain Center for Human Rights
- Bahrain Watch
- Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communications
- Bits of Freedom
- Bloggers Association of Kenya
- Blueprint for Free Speech
- Bolo Bhi
- Bytes for All
- Ca Suffit
- Center for Democracy and Technology
- Center for Media Research Nepal
- CIPESA
- CIPIT
- Collectif #Sasouffit
- Committee to Protect Journalists
- Derechos Digitales
- Digital Rights Foundation Pakistan
- Digital Rights Watch Australia
- Digital Society of Zimbabwe
- Electronic Frontier Foundation
- EMPOWER
- Engage Media
- EPIC
- Filipino Freethinkers
- Fight for the Future
- Foundation for Media Alternatives
- Freemuse
- Free Press
- Fundacja ePaństwo
- Fundacion Via Libre
- GetUp!
- Hack the Climate
- Heliopolis Institute
- Hiperderecho
- Hivos
- Human Rights Foundation
- Human Rights Watch
- ifreedom Uganda
- Icelandic Modern Media Initiative
- Index on Censorship
- Internet Lab
- Internet Freedom Foundation
- International Media Support
- Internet Sans Frontières
- International Service for Human Rights
- Internet Policy Observatory Pakistan
- Internews
- Ipandetec
- IRADA
- IT for Change
- ITS Rio
- Iyina
- Jordan Open Source Association
- KICTANet
- La Quadrature du Net
- Media Institute of Southern Africa
- Media Matters for Democracy
- Media Rights Agenda
- Open Observatory of Network Interference
- Open Democracy Advice Centre
- OpenMedia
- Open State Foundation
- Open Technology Instititute
- Namibia Media Trust
- Paradigm Initiative Nigeria
- Pacific Freedom Forum
- PEN America
- PEN Melbourne
- PenPlusBytes
- Projet d’action pour une Alternance Crédible au Tchad
- R3D
- Right2Know
- Sinar Project
- Social Media Exchange
- SocialTic
- Software Freedom Law Centre
- SonTusDatos
- Sula Batsu
- Sunlight Foundation
- Trop C’est Trop
- Turkey Blocks
- TVYangu
- Unwanted Witness
- Venezuela Inteligente
- Viettan
- WITNESS
- Women in Information Technology
- Women of Uganda Network
What you can do to help
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Take the pledge and join us to push back against internet shutdowns and help #KeepItOn!
Join the fight to #KeepItOn! -
Every voice helps! Tell people about our campaign. You can share or remix the graphics, avatars, stickers, posters, banners, and badges below.
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Know about a shutdown? Email us! If you can, please include screenshots of offline pages, time and date of the shutdown, photos, or any other information you think would be helpful.
shutdowns@accessnow.org PGP Key ID: 0xB7A750B1 Copy the public PGP Key
Latest News
- Bahrain’s internet shutdown marks a “new form of information control” (8/4/2016, The Verge)
- Bangladesh: telecoms authority holds drill on shutting down internet (8/1/2016, Daily Star)
- On eve of Olympics, judge orders blocking of WhatsApp in Brazil (7/19/2016, Access Now)
- Tchad: une lettre ouverte contre les coupures d’accès aux réseaux sociaux (7/18/2016, Radio France International)
- Social media may have been blocked during Turkey coup attempt (7/15/2016, The Guardian)
- Social media goes dark during chaos in Turkey (7/15/2016, The Atlantic)
- Global Network Initiative and Telecommunications Industry Dialogue joint statement on network and service shutdowns (7/12/2016, GNI)
- Ethiopia blocks Facebook and other social media for exams (7/11/2016, BBC News)
- After Burhan Wani’s killing, mobile internet services suspended in Kashmir (7/9/2016, NDTV)
- Internet shutdown in Zimbabwe: what happened? (7/7/2016, Access Now)
- Countries that throttle access to Facebook are uncool, says UN (7/7/2016, Buzzfeed)
- UN rights council condemns internet blocking (7/1/2016, The Hill)
- UN passes landmark resolution condemning internet shutdowns (7/1/2016, Access Now)
- Turkey’s internet censorship after the Istanbul attack is nothing new (6/30/2016, Mashable)
- Ghana police backtrack on plans to ban social media on election day (6/29/2016, Daily Trust)
- U.S. military official: Internet shutdowns don’t help during conflict (6/22/2016, Access Now)
- Jammu, India goes offline ahead of controversial wrestling event (6/22/2016, The Hindu)
- Algeria Reconsiders Blocking Social Media to Prevent Cheating on Exams (6/22/2016, SMEX)
- Algeria blocks Facebook, Twitter to stop exam cheats: state media (6/19/2016, Reuters)
- UN opposed to social media ban in Ghana – Ibn Chambas (6/18/2016, Joy Online)
- More African countries are blocking social media during elections (6/1/2016, Quartz Africa)
- Ghana police chief criticized for proposed social media ban (5/27/2016, Voice of America)
- Iraq Shut Down Its Internet to Prevent Sixth-Graders From Cheating (5/16/2016, The Atlantic)
- How African governments block social media (4/25/2016, BBC News)
- As Patidars clash with police — arrests, curfew, curbs on Internet (4/18/2016, The Indian Express)
- Mobile internet suspended in 5 districts in Kashmir, India (4/14/2016, Medianama)
- Twitter, WhatsApp Down in Oromia, Ethiopia after unrest (4/12/2016, Bloomberg)
- Internet remains cut in Chad after tense elections (4/11/2016, The Citizen)
- Congo-Brazzaville imposes total communications blackout during election (3/22/2016, CPJ)
- In Turkey and globally, internet shutdowns hurt people and harm human rights (3/16/2016, Access Now)
- Digital rights groups ask African Union, U.N. to take action on social media blackout in Uganda (2/23/2016, Access Now)
- GNI condemns Election Day shutdowns of social media in Uganda (2/18/2016, Global Network Initiative)
Learn more
- KillSwitch Timeline in Pakistan (current, Bytes for All)
- Internet Shutdown Tracker – India (current, Software Freedom Law Centre)
- How to Characterize an Internet Shutdown (2/17/2016, Tim Sammut)
- Five years later, the internet shutdown that rocked Egypt (1/21/2016, Access Now)
- Security v Access: The Impact of Mobile Network Shutdowns. Case Study: Telenor Pakistan (9/28/2015, Institute for Business and Human Rights)
- Freedom Online Coalition: statement on restrictions on access to social media [PDF] (8/2014, Freedom Online Coalition)
- Practical Resources for the Management of Assemblies (3/2016, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association)
- The economic impact of shutting down Internet and mobile phone services in Egypt (2/4/2011, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development)
Contact
Want to know more about this campaign? Contact deji@accessnow.org