Felicia Anthonio

On the eve of the 2021 presidential election in Uganda, the government ordered a complete internet shutdown. Voters headed out to the polls with no methods of online communication or tools to access information about the election process or outcome. 

Join us and share these 11 personal stories to show how the shutdowns in Tanzania are affecting people’s lives. Amplify voices from Tanzania.

Ahead of a presidential election on October 28, the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has ordered telcos to suspend access to bulk SMS and voice services, and reports indicate single messages with election-related keywords are also being censored.

Elections are increasingly becoming a trigger point for internet shutdowns, and governments have already flipped the kill switch during elections in 2020. The #KeepItOn coalition is mobilizing to keep people connected as they go to the polls in the coming weeks.

The Azerbaijani government, along with internet and telecom service providers and other essential services, must immediately restore unrestricted access to the internet across all networks, including lifting any restrictions on the use of VPNs.

WhatsApp is one of the most popular social media platforms in Chad, but the government is blocking it. Through our Shutdown Stories project, we’re sharing testimonies to show how this censorship negatively impacts the lives of the people the government is supposed to protect.

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.

Access Now denounces the persecution of Maung Saungkha, a prominent Myanmar poet and activist, by authorities in Myanmar and demands an end to his continued harassment. Maung Saungkha is being accused of organizing “unlawful” protests to demand an end to the internet shutdown in Rakhine and Chin states.