India was the champion in blockades, with 109 restrictions in Kashmir, according to a study by the Access Now group.
Twenty-nine countries intentionally blocked or slowed down the internet during the year 2020, according to a report by the digital rights group Access Now.
In total, there were 155 restrictions – 27% less than in 2019, when there were 213 interruptions.
The champion country in restrictions was India, which interrupted the connection 109 times during the past year – 90% of them in the territory of Kashmir.
From January 2020 to February 2021, the internet in Kashmir was limited to the 2G connection, which has a much lower speed than 4G broadband.
The majority of Kashmir’s population is Muslim, the only Indian region in which Islamists are the majority, rather than Hindus. Many people who live there do not want the territory to be governed by India, preferring independence or accession to Pakistan.
Connection interruptions also occurred in Latin America: Venezuela, Ecuador and Cuba restricted access to the internet during the past year.
In Europe, the blockade in Belarus during the period of elections and protests was highlighted by the report. On that occasion, the government restricted access to social networks, including WhatsApp and Telegram, in an attempt to hinder the articulation of demonstrations.
Governments justified blocking the internet by citing fake news, precautionary measures, public security and national security, among other reasons.
Seven countries, including India, Guinea, Belarus, Burundi, Kyrgyzstan, Tanzania and Togo, restricted the connection during the electoral period in 2020.
See the list of countries that blocked the internet:
India – 109 times
Yemen – 6 times
Ethiopia – 4 times
Jordan – 3 times
Togo – 2 times
Sudan – 2 times
Kenya – 2 times
Guinea – 2 times
Chad – 2 times
Belarus – 2 times
Venezuela – 2 times
Pakistan – 2 times
Azerbaijan – 1 time
Ecuador – 1 time
Cuba – 1 time
Vietnam – 1 time
Myanmar – 1 time
Kyrgyzstan – 1 time
Bangladesh – 1 time
Turkey – 1 time
Syria – 1 time
Iraq – 1 time
Iran – 1 time
Egypt – 1 time
Algeria – 1 time
Uganda – 1 time
Tanzania – 1 time
Mali – 1 time
Burundi – 1 time
The Access Now report is carried out through a coalition that brings together 243 organizations from 105 countries that monitor and defend the internet connection around the world.
