#InternetShutdowns

hannes-jeremia jaacks

@hannesjaacks.seocommunity.social.ap.brid.gy

1 month ago

A danger to democracy and contagious: #internetshutdowns spread in Africa and between authoritarian regimes.

Technology and infrastructure comes from global actors (hello 🇩🇪 in Iran, 🇨🇦 in Sudan), they are the ones that need to stop this […]

Global Issues

@globalissues.org

1 month ago

UN warns of rising internet shutdowns as digital blackouts spread worldwide A rising trend towards government-enforced internet shutdowns – with at least 300 incidents in more than 54 countries over the last two years – is prompting renewed warnings from the UN about the threat these digital blackouts pose to freedom of expression, access to information and human rights.

UN warns of rising #internet shutdowns as digital blackouts spread worldwide

#InternetShutdowns
#DigitalBlackouts

Institute of Development Studies (IDS)

@ids.ac.uk

2 months ago

A hand drawn image depicting a crowd. Three banners are held up saying 'Keep the internet on' 'Free speech now' and 'Access for all'.

Keep the internet on!

Digital authoritarian practices like #InternetShutdowns are being used by repressive governments around the 🌍 as seen happening in #Iran.

Find out more in the new illustrated guide Understanding Digital Rights
👇
https://ids.pulse.ly/pvbqml6kfh

@phatcontroller.bsky.social

Hacker News Companion

@hncompanion.com

2 months ago

Overview: Hacker News discussed deliberate internet shutdowns—from government control to resilience testing. Key concern: internet centralization & vulnerabilities. Solutions explored: decentralized networks & open tech advocacy. #InternetShutdowns 1/6

CySecurity News

@cysecuritynews.bsky.social

4 months ago

Amigo Mesh Network Empowers Protesters to Communicate During Blackouts  Researchers from City College of New York, Harvard University, and Johns Hopkins University have developed Amigo, a prototype mesh network specifically designed to maintain communication during political protests and internet blackouts imposed by authoritarian regimes. The system addresses critical failures in existing mesh network technology that have plagued protesters in countries like Myanmar, India, and Bangladesh, where governments routinely shut down internet connectivity to suppress civil unrest. Traditional mesh networks create local area networks by connecting smartphones directly to each other, allowing users to bypass conventional wireless infrastructure. However, these systems have historically struggled with messages failing to deliver, appearing out of order, and leaking compromising metadata that allows authorities to trace users. The primary technical challenge occurs when networks experience strain, causing nodes to send redundant messages that flood and collapse the system. Dynamic clique architecture Amigo overcomes these limitations through an innovative approach that dynamically segments the network into geographical "cliques" with designated lead nodes. Within each clique, individual devices communicate only with their assigned leader, who then relays data to other lead nodes. This hierarchical structure dramatically reduces redundant messaging and prevents network congestion, resembling the clandestine cell systems historically used by resistance movements where members could only communicate through local anonymous leaders. Advanced security features Security represents another major innovation in Amigo's design. The system implements "outsider anonymity," making it impossible for bystanders or surveillance systems to detect that a group exists. It enables secure removal of compromised devices from encrypted groups, a persistent vulnerability in older mesh standards. Amigo incorporates forward secrecy, ensuring past communications remain secure even if encryption keys are compromised, and post-compromise security that automatically generates new keys when breaches are detected, effectively blocking intruders Realistic movement modeling Unlike previous mesh systems that treated users as randomly moving particles, Amigo integrates psychological crowd modeling based on sociological research. Graduate researcher Cora Ruiz discovered that people in protests move closer together, slower, and in synchronized patterns. This realistic movement modeling creates more stable communication patterns in dense, moving environments, preventing the misrouted messages that plagued earlier systems. While designed for political activism, Amigo's applications extend to disaster recovery scenarios where communication infrastructure is destroyed. The technology could prove vital for first responders, citizens, and volunteers operating in devastated areas or remote regions without grid connectivity. Lead researcher Tushar Jois indicates the next phase involves working directly with activists and journalists to understand protester needs and test how the network functions as demonstrations evolve.

Amigo Mesh Network Empowers Protesters to Communicate During Blackouts #Cryptography #CyberSecurity #InternetShutdowns

Superbloom

@superbloom.design

6 months ago

superbloom.design/learning/blo...

#InternetShutdowns #Taiwan #TechForGood #Superbloom

APC

@apc.org

6 months ago

Security at what cost? Mobile data shutdown pushes Pakistan’s Balochistan further into isolation After leaving home in a taxi, a lecturer at a public university in Balochistan realised that her mobile internet was not working, leaving her unable to use digital maps to navigate her way to her frie...

Security at what cost? Mobile data shutdown pushes Pakistan’s Balochistan further into isolation

www.apc.org/en/blog/secu...

#Pakistan #Balochistan #KeepItOn #InternetShutdowns

RelaySMS

@relaysms.bsky.social

7 months ago

RelaySMS now speaks your language,from Swahili to Hindi to Shona.

Open-source means if we don’t speak your language yet… we can learn.
Which one should we learn next?

#RelaySMS #OfflineFirst #InternetShutdowns #localization #techforall

RelaySMS

@relaysms.bsky.social

7 months ago

We’ve got more platforms coming soon to RelaySMS🎉
And yes, they'll work with just SMS, no internet needed!

Can you guess which ones are coming next?
Or better yet... tell us which ones you want us to add!

#RelaySMS #OfflineFirst #InternetShutdowns

Heartland Initiative

@heartlandorg.bsky.social

7 months ago

For True Peace, Ceasefires Must Address Digital Warfare, Too | TechPolicy.Press From Gaza and Israel to Russia and Ukraine, any meaningful ceasefire must confront digitally enabled operations, Brett Solomon and Betsy Popken write.

"[A]ny meaningful #ceasefire must confront state sponsored hacking, #internetshutdowns & an inflammatory barrage of digital disinformation—in addition to the traditional elements of war. W/o addressing these digitally enabled ops, peace deals risk falling short." www.techpolicy.press/for-true-pea...

✨🌈 Home of Digital Rights Defenders

@teamcommunity.bsky.social

10 months ago

Myanmar Military Junta’s Increasingly Powerful Surveillance Ecosystem Over Four Years The military junta (State Administration Council) has started using a suite of technologies to effectively identify, track and locate dissidents in Myanmar starting from March 2025. The digital…

The digital repression tactics employed by the Military Junta in #Myanmar have escalated significantly four years after the coup. The Myanmar Internet Project (MIP) has documented 357 instances of #InternetShutdowns from the time of the coup until the end of March 2025.

Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻‍💻

@natynettle.bsky.social

10 months ago

#KeepItOn: Kremlin Must End Internet Shutdowns at National Events The undersigned strongly condemn the internet shutdowns imposed by Russian authorities during the 80th anniversary of World War II victory.

Russian authorities imposed a wide scale mobile #internetshutdowns 🛜 in 30+ regions of Russia during the WWII Victory Day celebrations.

Here is the statement from the #KeepItOn coalition

www.accessnow.org/press-releas...

Myanmar Internet Project

@myanmarip.bsky.social

10 months ago

🚨 64 out of 65 townships hit by #airstrikes (Nov 2024–Dec 2025) also faced #internet_shutdowns.

#WhatsHappeningInMyanmar #DigitalRights #InternetShutdowns #KeepItOn

Full Report >> www.myanmarinternet.info/post/interne...

✨🌈 Home of Digital Rights Defenders

@teamcommunity.bsky.social

11 months ago

Internet shutdowns at record high in Africa as access ‘weaponised’ More governments seeking to keep millions of people offline amid conflicts, protests and political instability

#DigitalBlackouts reached a record high in 2024 in #Africa as more governments sought to keep millions of citizens off the internet. There were 21 #Internetshutdowns in 15 African countries, surpassing the existing record of 19 shutdowns in 2020 and 2021.

TechSnacks

@techsnacks-news.bsky.social

1 year ago

Internet shutdowns at record high in Africa as access ‘weaponised’ In 2024, Africa experienced a record number of internet shutdowns, with 21 incidents across 15 countries, as governments restricted access during conflicts and protests.

(1/3) Top tech story of Sun Mar 9 2025:

Internet shutdowns at record high in Africa as access ‘weaponised’

Get a daily summary of tech news on: techsnacks.news

#internetshutdowns #africatechnews

AI-C

@aicompetence.org

1 year ago

Internet Shutdowns As A Political Weapon: The Fight For Digital Rights Governments are weaponizing internet shutdowns to suppress dissent. Learn how this threatens digital rights and global free speech.

In an age where the internet is central to communication, activism, and business, its sudden disappearance can be devastating. #digitalrights #freespeech #internetfreedom #internetshutdowns #onlinecensorship #politicalcontrol #webblackouts
aicompetence.org/internet-shu...

IFEX

@ifex.org

1 year ago

India: SFLC.in releases Internet Shutdown Report 2023-2024 - IFEX The report probes the far-reaching impact of internet shutdowns on fundamental rights, education, freedom of speech, and the economy.

#India 🇮🇳 SFLC.in emphasised that "internet shutdowns are more than just disruptions – they hinder emergency services, weaken governance, and violate fundamental rights." Read their latest report on the impact of #InternetShutdowns. https://buff.ly/4ih4Swq #KeepItOn

APC

@apc.org

1 year ago

Join us on day 2 at #RightsCon #RightsCon2025 👇

www.apc.org/en/news/apc-...

#DigitalRights #CyberSecurity #InternetShutdowns #TheFullPicture #GenderViolenceOnline

فیلتربان - Filter Watch

@filter.watch

1 year ago

3/3💡 Want to learn how to protect your data and stay online during an internet shutdown? Read the full Internet Shutdown Protocol on our website:
filter.watch/irandarkhamo...

#InternetShutdowns #DigitalSecurity #KeepItOn #Iran #OnlineFreedom

SFLC.in

@sflcin.bsky.social

1 year ago

#RegisterNow #ReportLaunch

New data from @top10vpn.bsky.social reveals that #internetshutdowns in India cost a whopping $322.9 million.

Join us as we release sflc.in's Internet Shutdown Report 2024 on February 17th, 6 p.m. IST.

Register now: forms.sflc.in/s/tfgskojoei...

Aaj News

@aajnews.bsky.social

1 year ago

واٹس ایپ نے سیشن سرور راؤٹنگ پاکستان سے باہر منتقل کردیا ہے، پی ٹی اے

www.aaj.tv/news/30433548/

#AajNews #InternetShutdowns #internationalfirms #WhatsApp

Umaima

@rumaima.bsky.social

1 year ago

Because of #internetshutdowns in #Bangladesh recently, I missed out on an important story that I was working on for a while.
I was also unable to know when the govt imposed curfew across the country as there was no news in media, says Pantha. #GVSummit2024

Umaima

@rumaima.bsky.social

1 year ago

During #internetshutdowns I realised we have to be creative when the govt is using an iron hand, says Kanav. #GVSummit2024

Foundation DAHRD

@dahrd.bsky.social

1 year ago

🌐 Today we focus on #DigitalRights in India & when connectivity becomes a matter of #HumanRights

📉 India leads the world in #InternetShutdowns

With 843 shutdowns since 2012 India has held this title for 6 years straight. In 2023 alone, the internet was cut off 116 times across 13 states. 1/4

Tech Policy Press

@techpolicypress.bsky.social

1 year ago

How Bangladesh Fell Into An Information Blackout | TechPolicy.Press Fundamental freedoms should never be traded for short-term fixes says Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, founding Board Director at Tech Global Institute.

The consequences of an internet shutdown following protests in Bangladesh should be an overdue wakeup call to the government that fundamental freedoms should never be traded for short-term fixes, argues Sabhanaz Rashid Diya.

#bangladesh #internetshutdowns #censorship #freespeech