![]() However, as the Kashmiri journalist pointed out, the first challenge during the communications shutdown is the inability to share or access information. Now, if you’ve reached the stage where you say an internet cut is more dangerous than the loss of human lives, then what can I say?” said India’s External Affairs Minister S. ![]() “There is a big song and dance about the internet being cut. The authorities contend the shutdowns are needed to prevent violence fueled by rumors circulated on social media or mobile messaging applications. In May, the internet was completely blocked on both mobile and fixed line services in Manipur state for weeks following violent ethnic clashes. While this report covers shutdowns up until December 2022, in March 2023, the entire state of Punjab had been placed under a three-day mobile internet blackout to track down a separatist leader. According to one estimate, India was responsible for the most shutdowns in 2022, for the fifth consecutive year, with 84 shutdowns out of 187 globally. ![]() Since 2018, India has shut down the internet more often than any other country in the world. While the length of the 2019-2021 internet shutdown in Jammu and Kashmir was unprecedented, denying access to the internet has become a default policing tactic by Indian authorities, including to shut down protests or criticism of the government, and even to prevent cheating in school examinations. You start to realize its importance when it is taken away from you. For entertainment, for information, for job applications, for education, to connect with your loved ones, for checking up on things, for ordering things, for travel, for ticketing, for studying-it’s for every aspect of life. As one journalist based in Srinagar, who asked not to be identified, told Human Rights Watch and Internet Freedom Foundation: Just imagine the number of times you use the internet in a day. Mobile internet is used by 96 percent of the population, and thus the shutdown impacted every aspect of daily life. While some services were gradually restored, mobile 4G internet access remained effectively down for over 500 days, until February 2021. The authorities sought to prevent Kashmiris from organizing protests after the government revoked the state’s constitutional autonomous status, splitting it into two separate federally governed territories. In August 2019, the Indian government completely blocked all communication networks in Jammu and Kashmir, including landlines, fixed line internet and mobile networks. H.K., 35, a Dalit woman with five children, Rajasthan, September 2022 When the internet is shut down, I have no work, do not get paid, cannot withdraw any money from my account, and cannot even get food rations.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |