The dramatic real-life effects of Internet shutdowns on people’s lives and human rights have been vastly underestimated, the UN Human Rights Office warns in a new report issued today. The report urges States not to impose Internet shutdowns.
“Too often, major communication channels or
entire communication networks are slowed down or blocked,” the report says,
adding that this has deprived “thousands or even millions of people of their
only means of reaching loved ones, continuing their work or participating in
political debates or decisions.”
The report aims to shed much-needed light
on the phenomenon of Internet shutdowns, looking at when and why they are
imposed and examining how they undermine a range of human rights, first and
foremost the right to freedom of expression.
Shutdowns can mean a complete block on
Internet connectivity but governments also increasingly resort to banning
access to major communication platforms and throttling bandwidth and limiting
mobile services to 2G transfer speeds, making it hard, for example, to share
and watch videos or live picture broadcasts.
The report notes that the #KeepItOn
coalition, which monitors shutdowns episodes across the world, documented 931
shutdowns between 2016 and 2021 in 74 countries, with some countries blocking
communications repeatedly and over long periods of time.
“Shutdowns are powerful markers of sharply
deteriorating human rights situations,” the report highlights. Over the past
decade, they have tended to be imposed during heightened political tensions,
with at least 225 shutdowns recorded during public demonstrations relating to
social, political or economic grievances.
Shutdowns were also reported when
governments carried out security operations, severely restricting human rights
monitoring and reporting. In the context of armed conflicts and during mass
demonstrations, the fact that people could not communicate and promptly report
abuses seems to have contributed to further insecurity and violence, including
serious human rights violations.
Collecting information about shutdowns is
difficult as many governments refuse to acknowledge having ordered any
interference in communications and sometimes put pressure on companies to
prevent them from sharing information on communication being blocked or slowed
down.
“The official justification for the
shutdowns was unknown in 228 shutdowns reported by civil society across 55
countries,” the report states.
When authorities do recognize having
ordered disruptions, justifications often point to public safety, containing
the spread of incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, or
combatting disinformation. Yet, the report describes how shutdowns often
achieve the exact opposite, furthering fear and confusion, and stoking risks of
division and conflict.
The dramatic real-life effects of Internet
shutdowns on people’s lives and human rights have been vastly underestimated,
the UN Human Rights Office warns in a new report issued today. The report urges
States not to impose Internet shutdowns.
“Too often, major communication channels or
entire communication networks are slowed down or blocked,” the report says,
adding that this has deprived “thousands or even millions of people of their
only means of reaching loved ones, continuing their work or participating in
political debates or decisions.”
The report aims to shed much-needed light
on the phenomenon of Internet shutdowns, looking at when and why they are
imposed and examining how they undermine a range of human rights, first and foremost
the right to freedom of expression.
Shutdowns can mean a complete block on
Internet connectivity but governments also increasingly resort to banning
access to major communication platforms and throttling bandwidth and limiting
mobile services to 2G transfer speeds, making it hard, for example, to share
and watch videos or live picture broadcasts.
The report notes that the #KeepItOn
coalition, which monitors shutdowns episodes across the world, documented 931
shutdowns between 2016 and 2021 in 74 countries, with some countries blocking
communications repeatedly and over long periods of time.
“Shutdowns are powerful markers of sharply
deteriorating human rights situations,” the report highlights. Over the past
decade, they have tended to be imposed during heightened political tensions,
with at least 225 shutdowns recorded during public demonstrations relating to
social, political or economic grievances.
Shutdowns were also reported when
governments carried out security operations, severely restricting human rights
monitoring and reporting. In the context of armed conflicts and during mass
demonstrations, the fact that people could not communicate and promptly report
abuses seems to have contributed to further insecurity and violence, including
serious human rights violations.
Collecting information about shutdowns is
difficult as many governments refuse to acknowledge having ordered any
interference in communications and sometimes put pressure on companies to
prevent them from sharing information on communication being blocked or slowed
down.
“The official justification for the
shutdowns was unknown in 228 shutdowns reported by civil society across 55 countries,”
the report states.
When authorities do recognize having
ordered disruptions, justifications often point to public safety, containing
the spread of incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, or
combatting disinformation. Yet, the report describes how shutdowns often
achieve the exact opposite, furthering fear and confusion, and stoking risks of
division and conflict.
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