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<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head><meta charSet="utf-8" data-next-head=""/><title data-next-head="">The Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns | Top10VPN</title><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, shrink-to-fit=no" data-next-head=""/><meta http-equiv="x-ua-compatible" content="ie=edge" data-next-head=""/><link href="https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net" rel="preconnect" data-next-head=""/><link href="https://www.googletagmanager.com" rel="preconnect" data-next-head=""/><link href="https://www.google-analytics.com" rel="preconnect" data-next-head=""/><link href="https://stats.g.doubleclick.net" rel="preconnect" crossorigin="anonymous" data-next-head=""/><link href="https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net" rel="preconnect" data-next-head=""/><link href="https://www.google.com" rel="preconnect" data-next-head=""/><link href="https://cdn.speedcurve.com" rel="preconnect" crossorigin="anonymous" data-next-head=""/><link href="https://lux.speedcurve.com" 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class="jsx-3296901116 ut-header blue"><div class="jsx-3296901116 container-row"><h1 class="jsx-3296901116 heading-1">Government Internet Shutdowns Have Cost $53 Billion Since 2019</h1><p class="jsx-3296901116">Deliberate internet outages around the world cost the global economy billions of dollars every year. Our internet shutdowns tracker measures the financial consequences in real-time, while annual reports provide historical data and analysis.</p><div class="jsx-3130565390 author-header"><div class="jsx-3130565390 date-wtu-container"><time dateTime="2024-05-08T12:31:00.000Z" class="jsx-3130565390 author-updated"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="jsx-3130565390 icon-tick"><use xlink:href="#svg-tick" class="jsx-3130565390"></use></svg><span class="jsx-3130565390">Updated May 8, 2024</span></time></div><div class="jsx-3130565390 authors-grid"><div class="jsx-3130565390 main-author"><div class="jsx-3130565390 author-photo"><img alt="" data-slug="samuel" width="32" height="32" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" style="color:transparent" srcSet="/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.top10vpn.com%2Fimages%2F2019%2F11%2F191114-Author-Profile-Imgs-Samuel.jpg&w=32&q=75 1x, /_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.top10vpn.com%2Fimages%2F2019%2F11%2F191114-Author-Profile-Imgs-Samuel.jpg&w=64&q=75 2x" src="/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.top10vpn.com%2Fimages%2F2019%2F11%2F191114-Author-Profile-Imgs-Samuel.jpg&w=64&q=75"/></div><div class="jsx-3130565390 author-name"><strong class="jsx-3130565390">Samuel Woodhams</strong></div><span class="jsx-3130565390 amp"> & </span><div class="jsx-3130565390 author-photo"><img alt="Simon Migliano" data-slug="simonmigliano" width="32" height="32" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" style="color:transparent" srcSet="/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.top10vpn.com%2Fimages%2F2019%2F05%2Fsimon-migliano-headshot.jpg&w=32&q=75 1x, /_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.top10vpn.com%2Fimages%2F2019%2F05%2Fsimon-migliano-headshot.jpg&w=64&q=75 2x" src="/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.top10vpn.com%2Fimages%2F2019%2F05%2Fsimon-migliano-headshot.jpg&w=64&q=75"/></div><div class="jsx-3130565390 author-name"><strong class="jsx-3130565390">Simon Migliano</strong></div><button aria-label="About authors" class="jsx-3130565390 author-toggle"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" class="jsx-3130565390 icon-chevron-down"><use xlink:href="#svg-chevron" class="jsx-3130565390"></use></svg></button></div><div class="jsx-3130565390 author-bio"><p class="jsx-3130565390 bio-authors">Samuel Woodhams was our Digital Rights Lead. His research has been featured in the BBC, Reuters, Financial Times, The Guardian, and Business Insider. <a href="/about/vpn-experts/samuel/">Read full bio</a></p><p class="jsx-3130565390 bio-authors">Simon Migliano is a recognized world expert in VPNs. He's tested hundreds of VPN services and his research has featured on the BBC, The New York Times and more. <a href="/about/vpn-experts/simonmigliano/">Read full bio</a></p></div></div></div></div></div><div class="jsx-3067576299 container-row"><div class="jsx-3067576299 hero-container"><picture class="jsx-3067576299"><source srcSet="https://www.top10vpn.com/images/2024/02/2023-Cost-of-Internet-Shutdowns-Report_1180x800_opt.jpg" media="(min-width: 500px)" width="1180" height="800" class="jsx-3067576299"/><source srcSet="/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.top10vpn.com%2Fimages%2F2024%2F02%2F2023-Cost-of-Internet-Shutdowns-Report_1180x800_opt.jpg&w=768&q=60 1x, /_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.top10vpn.com%2Fimages%2F2024%2F02%2F2023-Cost-of-Internet-Shutdowns-Report_1180x800_opt.jpg&w=1024&q=60 2x" media="(max-width: 499px)" width="667" height="376" class="jsx-3067576299"/><img src="https://www.top10vpn.com/images/2024/02/2023-Cost-of-Internet-Shutdowns-Report_1180x800_opt.jpg" alt="Cost of Internet Shutdowns report header illustration showing the global internet being unplugged" loading="eager" class="jsx-3067576299 hero-image"/></picture></div></div><div class="jsx-3067576299 content-wrapper-jumplinks"><div class="jsx-3067576299 container-row ut-wrapper"><div class="jsx-3067576299 ut-row"><section class="jsx-2580530280 block-text"><div><p><i><strong>First published Jan 2, 2020</strong>. Last updated to include the latest internet shutdowns up to April 30 and our new <a href="#election">election internet interference</a> section.</i></p> <h2>Internet Shutdowns: Economic Impact 2019-2024</h2> <div class="block-highlighted block-highlighted--blue block-highlighted--dot"> <ul> <li>There have been <b>611</b> major internet shutdowns in <b>56</b> countries since 2019</li> <li><b><span data-dollar-value="52.99">$52.99</span> billion</b>: total cost to the world economy of government internet outages over this period</li> <li><b>2024:</b> 35 internet shutdowns in 16 countries cost <b><span data-dollar-value="1.57">$1.57</span> billion</b> to date <ul> <li><b>35,047 hours:</b> total duration in 2024 of deliberate internet disruptions around the world</li> <li><b>Myanmar:</b> most affected nation this year to date ($481.2 million), followed by Pakistan and India.</li> <li><b>$358.3 million:</b> total cost of election-related shutdowns in 2024 to date</li> <li><b>90.8%:</b> proportion of people that have experienced some form of internet censorship during elections in 2024</li> </ul> </li> <li><b>2023:</b> 196 internet shutdowns in 25 countries cost <b><span data-dollar-value="9.13">$9.13</span><!--more--> </b><p><b> billion</b></p> <ul> <li><b>79,238 hours:</b> total duration in 2023 of deliberate internet disruptions around the world, up 18% vs 2022</li> <li><b>Russia:</b> most affected nation in 2022 (<span data-dollar-value="4.02">$4.02</span> billion), followed by Ethiopia and Myanmar.</li> </ul> </li> <li><b>2022:</b> 114 internet shutdowns in 23 countries cost <b><span data-dollar-value="24.61">$24.61</span> billion</b> <ul> <li><b>50,095 hours:</b> total duration in 2022 of deliberate internet outages globally, up 45% vs 2021</li> <li><b>Russia:</b> most affected nation in 2022 (<span data-dollar-value="21.59">$21.59</span> billion), followed by Myanmar and Iran.</li> </ul> </li> <li><b>2021:</b> 51 internet shutdowns in 22 countries cost <span data-dollar-value="5.62">$5.62</span> billion <ul> <li><b>34,595 hours:</b> total duration of deliberate internet disruptions, 11% more than the year before.</li> <li><b>Myanmar:</b> most affected nation in 2021 ($2.8 billion), followed by Nigeria and India.</li> </ul> </li> <li><b>2020:</b> 93 internet shutdowns in 21 countries cost <span data-dollar-value="4.01">$4.01</span> billion <ul> <li><b>27,165 hours:</b> total duration of deliberate internet disruptions, up 42% from the previous year.</li> <li><b>India:</b> most affected nation in 2020 ($2.8 billion), followed by Belarus and Yemen.</li> </ul> </li> <li><b>2019:</b> 134 internet shutdowns in 22 countries cost <span data-dollar-value="8.07">$8.07</span> billion <ul> <li><b>19,207 hours:</b> total duration of deliberate internet outages</li> <li><b>Iraq:</b> most affected nation in 2019 ($2.3 billion), followed by Sudan and India.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div></section></div></div><div class="jsx-3067576299 ut-jumplink"><aside class="jsx-2362454086"><div class="jsx-2362454086 jumplinks"><div class="jsx-2362454086 toc-mobile"><button class="jsx-2362454086"><span class="jsx-2362454086">Table of Contents</span><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" class="jsx-2362454086 icon-chevron-down"><use xlink:href="#svg-chevron" class="jsx-2362454086"></use></svg></button></div><ol class="jsx-2362454086 main-list"><li class="jsx-2362454086 "><a href="#what-is-the-cost-of-internet-shutdowns-tracker" class="jsx-2362454086 ">Introduction</a></li><li class="jsx-2362454086 "><a href="#cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2024-tracker" class="jsx-2362454086 ">2024</a></li><li class="jsx-2362454086 "><a href="#cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2023-report" class="jsx-2362454086 ">2023</a></li><li class="jsx-2362454086 "><a href="#cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2022-report" class="jsx-2362454086 ">2022</a></li><li class="jsx-2362454086 "><a href="#cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2021-report" class="jsx-2362454086 ">2021</a></li><li class="jsx-2362454086 "><a href="#cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2020-report" class="jsx-2362454086 ">2020</a></li><li class="jsx-2362454086 "><a href="#cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2019-report" class="jsx-2362454086 ">2019</a></li><li class="jsx-2362454086 "><a href="#internet-shutdowns-research-methodology" class="jsx-2362454086 ">Methodology</a></li></ol></div></aside></div><div class="jsx-3067576299 ut-wrapper"><div class="jsx-3067576299 container-row"><section id="what-is-the-cost-of-internet-shutdowns-tracker" class="jsx-2580530280 block-text ut-row"><h2 class="heading-2">What is the Cost of Internet Shutdowns Tracker?</h2><div><p>This Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns index tracks the the total economic impact of every major deliberate internet outage and social media shutdown around the world as it happens.</p> <p>This kind of deliberate disruption is internet censorship in its most extreme form. Not only do these internet outages infringe on citizens’ digital rights but they also have severe consequences for the global economy.</p> <p>The <a href="#tracker">live tracker</a> below shows the total cost of internet shutdowns for the year so far. Annual reports dating back to 2019 provide detailed analysis for each year.</p> <p>Use the page navigation to jump to the relevant section to see a summary of that year’s key findings and a link to the full report. You can also use the following links to jump straight to those sections:</p> <ul> <li><a href="#tracker">The Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns Live Tracker 2024</a></li> <ul> <li>NEW: <a href="#election">Election Internet Interference Analysis</a></li> </ul> <li><a href="#cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2023-report">The Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns in 2023</a></li> <li><a href="#cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2022-report">The Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns in 2022</a></li> <li><a href="#cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2021-report">The Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns in 2021</a></li> <li><a href="#cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2020-report">The Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns in 2020</a></li> <li><a href="#cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2019-report">The Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns in 2019</a></li> </ul> <p><i>The bar chart below shows the economic impact of all major internet shutdowns between 2019 and 2024. </i></p> <div id="attachment_1488244" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1488244" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-1488244 size-full" src="/assets/2024/05/Cost-of-Internet-Shutdowns-Yearly-Cost-Elections-2024-Update.png" alt="Bar chart showing the yearly cost of internet shutdowns since 2019." width="800" height="569"><p id="caption-attachment-1488244" class="wp-caption-text">Bar chart showing the yearly cost of internet shutdowns since 2019.</p></div> <h3>How Do We Calculate The Cost of Internet Shutdowns?</h3> <p>We monitor every national and region-wide internet outage and social media shutdown imposed by governments around the world in order to determine the duration and extent of the restrictions. This allows us to accurately calculate the economic impact of each internet shutdown using the <a href="https://netblocks.org/cost/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">COST tool</a>.</p> <p>This tool was developed by internet monitoring NGO <a href="https://netblocks.org/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Netblocks</a>. It is based on indicators from the World Bank, ITU, Eurostat and US Census. </p> <p>In both our Cost of Internet Shutdowns live tracker and annual reports, we include social media shutdowns, internet blackouts and severe ISP throttling in our calculations. These types of disruption to normal internet access are defined as follows:</p> <ul> <li><b>Internet blackouts:</b> where internet access is completely cut off by the government. This extreme measure cannot be directly circumvented.</li> <li><b>Social media shutdowns:</b> where access to popular social media, such as Facebook, WhatsApp or Twitter has been blocked. These can typically be circumvented by using a <a href="/best-vpn/">Virtual Private Network (VPN) application</a>.</li> <li><b>Severe throttling</b>: where speeds have been reduced to 2G, which permits the use of SMS and voice calls only. This is an internet blackout in all but name. </li> </ul> <h3>Why Are We Tracking The Cost of Internet Shutdowns?</h3> <p>We are staunchly opposed to internet censorship and governments withholding access to the internet as a form of social control.</p> <p>Our goal in doing this work is to keep public attention focused on just how damaging internet shutdowns truly are. This damage is both direct, in terms of the economic and human cost, and indirect, in that it forces people to <a href="/research/free-vpn-investigations/internet-shutdown-vpn-security/">use unsafe VPNs</a> to try to circumvent the restrictions imposed upon them.</p> <p>We are also <a href="/research/internet-shutdown-tech-allot/">investigating the companies that provide the technology</a> that make shutdowns possible, such as DNS filtering.</p> <p><a class="button green-cta" href="/research/vpn-demand-statistics/"><span class="green-cta--contents">See our live tracker of VPN demand surges around the world</span><span class="green-cta--icon-area"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24"><use xlink:href="#svg-chevron"></use></svg></span></a> </p> <p id="tracker"> </p></div></section></div><div class="jsx-3067576299 container-row"><section id="cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2024-tracker" class="jsx-2580530280 block-text ut-row"><h2 class="heading-2">Cost of Internet Shutdowns 2024 Tracker</h2><div><div class="container container--custom"> <p><i>The following data table shows all countries that have experienced a major internet shutdown to-date in 2024. The table is ordered from greatest to least economic impact, measured in USD.</i></p> <p><i>The data table also indicates the nature of any additional human rights abuses perpetrated during each internet shutdown. A cross indicates that the human right specified was violated during the period around the internet outage.</i> </p></div> </div><div data-sheet-id="1pHOqmjV8e6BFCeH0kRLhRUguZEUuspO0T4yHGQ2OScc|0"><div class="jsx-216598542 skel"><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-head"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-row"><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-row"><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-row"><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-row"><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-row"><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-row"><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div><div class="jsx-216598542 skel-cell waveyBG"></div></div></div></div><div><p class="spacer"> </p><div class="container container--custom"> <p><i>For data on individual internet shutdowns, see the <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qszOy09KpAA8kfjAi22hxeioLo7cxGMO8gzgHs1JJLw/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Cost of Internet Shutdowns Tracker Data Sheet</a>.</i></p> </div> </div></section></div><div class="jsx-3067576299 container-row"><section id="internet-shutdowns-background-2024" class="jsx-2580530280 block-text ut-row"><h2 class="heading-2">Internet Shutdowns Background 2024</h2><div><p>Internet access remains heavily disrupted in numerous townships in north-west Myanmar for yet another year, despite efforts by local groups to bring them back online. Many of these internet shutdowns date back as far as 2021, while others were imposed in early 2022.</p> <p>Although the accessibility of X (Twitter) in Myanmar continues to increase, it remains blocked around 30% of the time.</p> <p>Our 2024 tracker only calculates the economic impact this year to date. Prior years’ data can be found in the <a href="/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2023/">relevant</a> <a href="/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2022/">annual</a> <a href="/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2021/">reports</a>.</p> <p>Meanwhile, authorities in India have once again imposed numerous restrictions around the country. </p> <p>One of the most significant occurred in the northern state of Haryana. Mobile internet access was restricted in seven districts across the region as farmers marched due to crop prices. <sup><a id="fn-1" href="#footnote-1">[1]</a></sup></p> <p id="election"> </p><div class="block-highlighted block-highlighted--blue block-highlighted--dot"> <h3>Election Internet Interference Analysis</h3> <p>Since the start of 2024, 30 countries have held national elections. And in 10 of these, we have recorded heightened internet censorship, <b>affecting over 2.27 billion people.</b></p> <p>That’s 90.8% of people that have had an election so far this year, or more than a quarter of the world’s population. </p> <p>The severity of internet interference has varied widely: from removing specific social media accounts in India,<sup><a id="fn-2" href="#footnote-2">[2]</a></sup> to completely blocking access to the internet in Comoros.<sup><a id="fn-3" href="#footnote-3">[3]</a></sup></p> <p>In January, authorities in Bangladesh blocked a news site critical of the government in the run-up to the country’s parliamentary elections.<sup><a id="fn-4" href="#footnote-4">[4]</a></sup> Meanwhile Taiwan’s election spurred intense social media censorship in China.<sup><a id="fn-5" href="#footnote-5">[5]</a></sup></p> <p>In Indonesia, a popular documentary appeared to be taken offline due to criticism of the government,<sup><a id="fn-6" href="#footnote-6">[6]</a></sup> while a new law passed in December 2023 increased authorities’ capacity to block information online.<sup><a id="fn-7" href="#footnote-7">[7]</a></sup> </p> <p>But elections in many smaller countries, such as the Solomon Islands, Portugal and the Switzerland went ahead with no reports of increased internet censorship. </p> <p>The full list of countries that experienced heightened internet censorship during, or in the run-up to, national elections in 2024 are as follows: </p> <ul> <li>India</li> <li>Indonesia</li> <li>Pakistan</li> <li>Bangladesh</li> <li>Russia</li> <li>Taiwan</li> <li>Senegal</li> <li>Azerbaijan</li> <li>Comoros</li> <li>Maldives</li> </ul> <p>While much of the internet censorship we documented was too targeted to be included in our financial analysis, large-scale internet shutdowns surrounding elections have still cost an estimated <b>$358.3 million to date.</b> </p> <p>Pakistan’s restrictions have been by far the most costly election-related shutdown, costing $351 million. While Senegal’s internet restrictions during the postponement of their election earlier in the year cost over $7.1 million. </p> <p><i>For data on individual internet shutdowns and election-related internet censorship, see the <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qszOy09KpAA8kfjAi22hxeioLo7cxGMO8gzgHs1JJLw/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Cost of Internet Shutdowns Tracker Data Sheet</a>.</i></p> </div> <h3>Longest Internet Shutdowns in 2024</h3> <p><i>The bar chart below shows five longest consecutive internet shutdowns in 2024 so far. Note that shutdowns which are ongoing from the previous year are not included, with only shutdowns which began in 2024 shown on the chart.</i></p> <div id="attachment_1487851" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1487851" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-1487851 size-full" src="/assets/2024/05/COIS-Tracker-2024-Longest-Shutdown-Update.png" alt="Bar chart showing the five longest new internet shutdowns in 2024 so far." width="800" height="569"><p id="caption-attachment-1487851" class="wp-caption-text">Bar chart showing the five longest new internet shutdowns in 2024 so far.</p></div> </div></section></div><div class="jsx-3067576299 container-row"><section id="how-do-governments-shut-down-the-internet" class="jsx-2580530280 block-text ut-row"><h2 class="heading-2">How Do Governments Shut Down The Internet?</h2><div><p id="how"> </p><p>Government internet outages typically take the form of total internet blackouts or social media blocks. Another censorship tactic is <a href="/guides/how-to-stop-internet-throttling/">internet throttling</a>, where internet speeds are restricted so severely that anything beyond simple text-based communication becomes impossible, such as live-streaming video of protests or human rights abuses.</p> <p>Internet Service Providers (ISPs) use a number of methods to implement restrictions following government orders to do so. Some of the most common are below.</p> <div class="block-highlighted"> <h3>Network Shutdown</h3> <p>The most crude method of blocking access to the internet is when governments force ISPs and mobile carriers to literally power down critical circuits that make up the country’s telecommunications network.</p> <p>Governments that have complete control over their country’s network may also install an “internet kill-switch”. The UN has condemned the use of such single shut-off mechanisms.</p> <h3>Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) Manipulation</h3> <p>BGP is the protocol that manages the global routing system of the internet, which allows packets of data to travel from their source to their destination. It works via requiring every network node (known as an Autonomous System or AS) making up the global internet to constantly advertise which IP addresses it gives access to.</p> <p>These announcements flash back and forth across the whole network, marking the route between any two points on that network, each of which is a cluster of IP addresses. This protocol is what makes it possible to access a website or app hosted in another location.</p> <p>By manipulating the contents of these announcements, or BGP routing tables, an ISP can make the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of any number of its customers “disappear” from the internet, effectively cutting off access for those people. This is more precise than a full network shutdown and allows for exceptions to be made, such as for government officials.</p> <h3>IP Address Blocking</h3> <p>Websites and apps rely on web servers to host their content, each of which has its own <a href="/tools/what-is-my-ip/#what-is-an-ip-address">IP address</a>. This unique numerical address allows devices to find and communicate with each other.</p> <p>ISPs can create lists of IP addresses that correspond with services they want to block and then block all internet traffic to or from those IP addresses.</p> <p>As multiple websites and services can be hosted on a single IP address, this method of internet censorship often leads to unintentionally blocking more than was intended.</p> <h3>Domain Name System (DNS) Filtering</h3> <p>DNS filtering works in a similar way to IP blocking but is more precise as it targets the domain name rather than an IP address.</p> <p>Information associated with domain names, such as <code>top10vpn.com</code>, are stored in a database distributed across multiple DNS Servers. Browsers rely on intermediate services, called DNS resolvers, to perform DNS lookups for specific domains against these databases, and retrieve the relevant destination IP address of the server, which then lets the browser communicate with the server that holds the desired URL.</p> <p>ISPs can program these DNS resolvers to return incorrect information for particular DNS lookups, such as <code>twitter.com</code> not existing. When this happens, users are met with an error page instead of the website or app loading as normal.</p> <h3>Deep Packet Inspection (DPI)</h3> <p>DPI examines the full contents of the data packets making up internet traffic on a network to allow for blocking of specific content or applications. DPI relies on devices between the end user and the rest of the internet, known as middleboxes and which form a <a href="/research/huawei-china-surveillance-state/">key role in internet censorship in places like China</a>. Manufacturers include companies like Huawei and <a href="/research/internet-shutdown-tech-allot/">Allot</a>.</p> <p>DPI is also very effective at throttling speeds for specific types of traffic, such as video or Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP).</p> <p>As a result, <a href="/best-vpn/china/">VPNs that actually work in China</a> have to use technology like traffic obfuscation to bypass DPI.</p> <h3>Protocol Blocking</h3> <p>Targeting specific protocols, such as <a href="/guides/udp-vs-tcp/">TCP</a>/IP port number is another method for blocking or throttling certain apps associated with known TCP/IP ports.</p> <p>Governments can use this method to target instant messaging services or email for example to prevent citizens from communicating.</p> </div> </div></section></div><div class="jsx-3067576299 container-row"><section id="how-to-bypass-an-internet-shutdown" class="jsx-2580530280 block-text ut-row"><h2 class="heading-2">How to Bypass An Internet Shutdown</h2><div><p id="bypass"> </p><p>It’s not possible to bypass a full internet blackout and actually get online in any normal way, however there are still <a href="/guides/bypass-internet-censorship/">countermeasures available</a> to avoid becoming completely isolated.</p> <p>Fortunately social media shutdowns and other online content blocks are far more common forms of <a href="/guides/internet-censorship/">internet censorship</a> and can be circumvented using the right tools.</p> <div class="block-highlighted"> <p><b><span style="color: #c64742;">EXPERT TIP:</span></b> In some countries, some of these <a href="/what-is-a-vpn/are-vpns-legal/">tools might be outlawed</a>, so it’s important to weigh up any legal risk before proceeding.</p> <h3>VPNs</h3> <p>A <a href="https://www.top10vpn.com/vpn-explained/">VPN works by encrypting a user’s internet connection</a> and changing their IP address. Unless an ISP is able to block every single IP address used by a VPN service or identify VPN traffic and block it, then a VPN will allow a user to <a href="/what-is-a-vpn/what-are-vpns-used-for/">easily access sites and apps</a> blocked using IP and DNS filtering.</p> <p>Governments will often try to block VPN downloads during a social media shutdown. It’s therefore important for anyone living under such regimes to be prepared and download a <a href="/best-vpn/">trustworthy and reliable VPN</a> that works in their country <i>before</i> an internet outage takes place.</p> <p>Some internet shutdowns will also incorporate protocol blocking to prevent VPNs being used to circumvent them. VPN services that use <a href="/guides/vpn-obfuscation/">obfuscation techniques</a>, however, will still work.</p> <h3>Tor</h3> <p>Tor is a free, open-source system designed to enable anonymous communication on the web. The name comes from the original project name: “The Onion Router”. Like a VPN, <a href="/guides/tor-vs-vpn/">Tor encrypts your activity and hides your IP address</a>, enabling users to access blocked online services.</p> <p>For a dissident in a high-censorship regime, the complete anonymity provided by Tor makes it worth the trade-off in terms of speed and usability. For everyone else, a VPN is the better option.</p> <h3>Signal</h3> <p>Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are frequently affected when governments block social media, making it difficult for loved ones to communicate in countries where these platforms might be the only reliable method of personal communication.</p> <p>Make sure that you and anyone you might need to contact during an internet outage has installed Signal, which has the added benefit of being more secure than other messaging platforms.</p> <h3>Bluetooth Mesh Networks</h3> <p>Protestors can turn to apps like Bridgefy and FireChat to communicate when governments cut off internet access completely during civil unrest. The apps create local peer-to-peer mesh networks that rely on Bluetooth rather than the internet to exchange messages and data.</p> <h3>Roaming SIM card</h3> <p>If a government internet shutdown appears likely and getting online is critical, it’s worth preparing ahead of time and acquiring international roaming SIM cards from a neighboring country. Foreign mobile carriers will not be affected by any outage and will allow you to get online, albeit at potentially significantly extra cost.</p> <h3>Sneakernet</h3> <p>A sneakernet refers to using human movement to physically deliver information between people affected by an internet outage, or even to smuggle data about what’s happening out of the country. Download and store important information on thumb drives or external hard drives, ideally encrypted using software such as Veracrypt, and give it to someone traveling to the location of your intended recipient.</p> </div> <p id="background"> </p></div></section></div><div class="jsx-3067576299 container-row"><section id="cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2023-report" class="jsx-2580530280 block-text ut-row"><h2 class="heading-2">Cost of Internet Shutdowns 2023 Report</h2><div><p>The <a href="/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2023/">Cost of Internet Shutdowns 2023 annual report</a> was published on Jan 2 2024. This analysis of every major deliberate internet outage imposed by national governments in 2023 calculated their economic impact to be over <span data-dollar-value="9.13">$9.13</span> billion.</p> <h3>How Much Did Internet Shutdowns Cost Us in 2023?</h3> <div class="block-highlighted block-highlighted--dot"> <ul> <li><b><span data-dollar-value="9.13">$9.13</span> billion</b>: economic cost of internet shutdowns globally in 2023</li> <li><b>196 major internet outages</b> took place in 25 countries in 2023</li> <li><b>79,238 hours:</b> total duration of major internet shutdowns around the world, up 58% from the previous year</li> <li><b>747 million people</b> affected in 2023, up 5% year-on-year</li> <li><b>Russia</b>: had the most costly internet shutdowns, suffering a total loss of <span data-dollar-value="4.02">$4.02</span> billion</li> </ul> </div> <p class="spacer"> </p><p>Read the full 2023 <a href="/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2023/">Cost of Internet Shutdowns Report</a></p> </div></section></div><div class="jsx-3067576299 container-row"><section id="cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2022-report" class="jsx-2580530280 block-text ut-row"><h2 class="heading-2">Cost of Internet Shutdowns 2022 Report</h2><div><p>The <a href="/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2022/">Cost of Internet Shutdowns 2022 annual report</a> was published on Jan 3 2023. This analysis of every major deliberate internet outage imposed by national governments in 2022 calculated their economic impact to be over <span data-dollar-value="24.61">$24.61</span> billion.</p> <h3>How Much Did Internet Shutdowns Cost Us in 2022?</h3> <div class="block-highlighted block-highlighted--dot"> <ul> <li><b><span data-dollar-value="24.61">$24.61</span> billion</b>: economic cost of internet shutdowns globally in 2022, up by 337% from 2021</li> <li><b>114 major internet outages</b> took place in 23 countries in 2022</li> <li><b>50,095 hours:</b> total duration of major internet shutdowns around the world, up 45% from the previous year</li> <li><b>710 million people</b> affected in 2022, up 41% year-on-year</li> <li><b>Russia</b>: had the most costly internet shutdowns, suffering a total loss of <span data-dollar-value="21.59">$21.59</span> billion</li> </ul> </div> <p class="spacer"> </p><p>Read the full 2022 <a href="/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2022/">Cost of Internet Shutdowns Report</a></p> </div></section></div><div class="jsx-3067576299 container-row"><section id="cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2021-report" class="jsx-2580530280 block-text ut-row"><h2 class="heading-2">Cost of Internet Shutdowns 2021 Report</h2><div><p>The <a href="/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2021/">Cost of Internet Shutdowns 2021 annual report</a> was published on Jan 4 2022. This analysis of every major deliberate internet outage imposed by national governments in 2021 calculated their economic impact to be over $5.6 billion.</p> <h3>How Much Did Internet Shutdowns Cost Us in 2021?</h3> <div class="block-highlighted block-highlighted--dot"> <ul> <li><b><span data-dollar-value="5.62">$5.62</span> billion</b>: economic cost of internet shutdowns globally in 2021, up by 40% from 2020</li> <li><b>51 major internet outages</b> took place in 22 countries in 2021</li> <li><b>34,595 hours:</b> total duration of major internet shutdowns around the world, up 11% from the previous year</li> <li><b>504 million people</b> affected in 2021, up 88% year-on-year</li> <li><b>Myanmar</b>: had the most costly internet shutdowns, suffering a total loss of $2.8 billion</li> </ul> </div> <p class="spacer"> </p><p>Read the full 2021 <a href="/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2021/">Cost of Internet Shutdowns Report</a></p> </div></section></div><div class="jsx-3067576299 container-row"><section id="cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2020-report" class="jsx-2580530280 block-text ut-row"><h2 class="heading-2">Cost of Internet Shutdowns 2020 Report</h2><div><p>The <a href="/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2020/">Cost of Internet Shutdowns 2020 annual report</a> was published on Jan 4 2021. This analysis of every major government internet shutdown in 2020 revealed their economic impact on a world economy to be in excess of $4 billion.</p> <h3>How Much Did Internet Shutdowns Cost Us in 2020?</h3> <div class="block-highlighted block-highlighted--dot"> <ul> <li><b><span data-dollar-value="4.01">$4.01</span> billion</b>: economic cost of internet shutdowns globally in 2020, down by 50% from 2019</li> <li><b>93 major internet outages</b> took place in 21 countries in 2020</li> <li><b>27,165 hours:</b> total duration of major internet shutdowns around the world, up 49% from the previous year</li> <li><b>268 million people</b> affected in 2020, up 3% year-on-year</li> <li><b>India</b>: had the most costly internet shutdowns, suffering a total loss of $2.8 billion</li> </ul> </div> <p class="spacer"> </p><p>Read the full 2020 <a href="/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2020/">Cost of Internet Shutdowns Report</a></p> </div></section></div><div class="jsx-3067576299 container-row"><section id="cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2019-report" class="jsx-2580530280 block-text ut-row"><h2 class="heading-2">Cost of Internet Shutdowns 2019 Report</h2><div><p>The <a href="/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2019/">2019 Cost of Internet Shutdowns annual report</a> was published on Jan 7 2020. The report analyzed for the first time every major intentional internet outage over the course of a year and calculated the global cost of shutdowns in 2019 to have been over $8 billion.</p> <h3>How Much Did Internet Shutdowns Cost Us in 2019?</h3> <div class="block-highlighted block-highlighted--dot"> <ul> <li><b><span data-dollar-value="8.07">$8.07</span> billion</b>: economic cost of internet shutdowns globally in 2019 – an increase of 235% since 2015/16</li> <li><b>134 major internet shutdowns</b> took place in 22 countries during 2019</li> <li><b>19,207 hours</b>: total duration of major government internet outages around the world</li> <li><b>Iraq</b>: suffered the most economically from internet blackouts, followed by Sudan and India</li> <li><b>WhatsApp:</b> most-blocked platform, experiencing 7,044 total hours of government internet censorship</li> </ul> </div> <p class="spacer"> </p><p>Read the full 2019 <a href="/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2019/">Cost of Internet Shutdowns Report</a></p> </div></section></div><div class="jsx-3067576299 container-row"><section id="internet-shutdowns-research-methodology" class="jsx-2580530280 block-text ut-row"><h2 class="heading-2">Internet Shutdowns Research Methodology</h2><div><p>We review every documented government internet outage and social media shutdown globally in a given year.</p> <p>We include deliberate national internet blackouts along with regional disruptions that are on a sufficient scale to be economically significant.</p> <p>The nature, duration and severity of each internet outage are sourced from Netblocks real-time graphic data and reports, <a href="https://ioda.caida.org/ioda" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">IODA</a>, the SFLC.IN <a href="https://internetshutdowns.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Internet Shutdown Tracker</a>, and OONI’s <a href="https://explorer.ooni.org/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">internet censorship measurement tools</a>.</p> <p>The economic cost of each internet shutdown is calculated using the Netblocks Cost of Shutdown Tool, which is based on the Brookings Institution method, with CIPESA’s specialized model used for sub-Saharan Africa. Regional shutdown costs are derived from the region’s economic output as a proportion of national GDP.</p> <p>Partial internet outages are calculated as a proportion of the above costs based on the most up-to-date internet market-share information publicly available for the affected country.</p> <p>Internet user data is sourced from the World Bank and government reports. For social media shutdowns, the total number of internet users in the affected location is cited rather than the number of local users of a specific platform. This is because such internet outages affects all internet users’ ability to access social media regardless of their active use of a particular platform.</p> <div class="block-highlighted block-highlighted--light"> <p>The authors of all our investigations abide by the journalists’ <a href="/code-of-conduct/">code of conduct</a>.</p> </div> <p><i>Additional research by Agata Michalak</i></p> </div></section></div><div class="jsx-3067576299 container-row"><section id="references" class="jsx-2580530280 block-text ut-row"><h2 class="heading-2">References</h2><div><p id="footnote-1"><sup>[1] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/02/india-right-to-peaceful-protest-under-threat-due-to-mounting-restrictions-and-escalating-crackdown-on-farmers-march/ <a href="#fn-1">↩</a></sup></p> <p id="footnote-2"><sup>[2] https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/x-withholds-some-political-posts-in-india-after-poll-bodys-takedown-order-5457253/ <a href="#fn-2">↩</a></sup></p> <p id="footnote-3"><sup>[3] https://pulse.internetsociety.org/shutdowns/comoros-internet-suspended-among-election-unrest/ <a href="#fn-3">↩</a></sup></p> <p id="footnote-4"><sup>[4] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/bangladesh-newspaper-site-blocked-as-country-votes/articleshow/106614560.cms <a href="#fn-4">↩</a></sup></p> <p id="footnote-5"><sup>[5] https://thediplomat.com/2024/01/watching-taiwans-free-elections-chinese-internet-users-lament-one-party-rule/ <a href="#fn-5">↩</a></sup></p> <p id="footnote-6"><sup>[6] https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/02/17/dirty-vote-documentary-on-alleged-election-fraud-goes-viral-in-indonesia/ <a href="#fn-6">↩</a></sup></p> <p id="footnote-7"><sup>[7] https://thediplomat.com/2024/01/censorship-ai-disinformation-and-repression-undermine-asias-elections/ <a href="#fn-7">↩</a></sup></p> </div></section></div></div></div><div class="jsx-3067576299 container-row ut-wrapper"><div class="feedback-wrapper ut-row"><div style="height:27.5px;margin:0 auto calc(var(--base-unit) * 30)"></div></div></div></main><footer id="footer" data-swiftype-index="false" class="jsx-4062602538 footer"><div class="jsx-4062602538 container-row footer-trio"><div class="jsx-4062602538 footer-company"><div class="jsx-4062602538 logo"><img alt="Top10VPN" loading="lazy" width="184" height="26" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" style="color:transparent" src="/static/images/logo.svg"/></div><p class="jsx-4062602538">We've been testing and reviewing VPN services since 2016. 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His research has been featured in the BBC, Reuters, Financial Times, The Guardian, and Business Insider.","is_expert":true,"snippet_clean":"Samuel Woodhams was our Digital Rights Lead. His research has been featured in the BBC, Reuters, Financial Times, The Guardian, and Business Insider.","summary_clean":"Samuel Woodhams, who recently left Top10VPN, lead our research on censorship, surveillance, and internet freedom to help defend internet freedoms around the world. His research has been featured by the BBC, Washington Post, Financial Times, and The Guardian. "},"schema":{"knows_about":"VPN services, internet privacy, internet security, internet censorship, geo-blocking"}},{"first_name":"Simon","last_name":"Migliano","position":"Head of Research","display_format":"{{fe_forename}} {{fe_surname}}","slug":"simonmigliano","photo":{"alt":"Simon Migliano","url":"https://www.top10vpn.com/images/2019/05/simon-migliano-headshot.jpg","sizes":[{"details":{"url":"https://www.top10vpn.com/images/2019/05/simon-migliano-headshot.jpg"}}]},"twitter":{"url":"simonmigliano"},"website":"https://www.simonmigliano.com/","linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonmigliano/"},"ext_ref":[{"url":"https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0vuq76UAAAAJ\u0026hl=en\u0026oi=ao"},{"url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q113956142"}],"expert":{"snippet":"Simon Migliano is a recognized world expert in VPNs. He's tested hundreds of VPN services and his research has featured on the BBC, The New York Times and more.","is_expert":true,"snippet_clean":"Simon Migliano is a recognized world expert in VPNs. He's tested hundreds of VPN services and his research has featured on the BBC, The New York Times and more.","summary_clean":"Simon Migliano leads our research and testing into VPN applications, as well as wider investigations into internet privacy and security matters. Utilizing these findings, he produces in-depth VPN reviews and expert guidance on online safety. His work examining dangerous free VPNs, identity theft, and internet censorship has been featured in over 1,000 publications worldwide including the BBC, CNET, Wired, and the Financial Times. "},"schema":{"knows_about":"VPN services, internet privacy, internet security, internet censorship, geo-blocking"}}],"additional_authors":[],"default_image":{"url":"https://www.top10vpn.com/images/2024/02/2023-Cost-of-Internet-Shutdowns-Report_1180x800_opt.jpg","alt":"Cost of Internet Shutdowns report header illustration showing the global internet being unplugged","width":1180,"height":800},"published_date":"2024-05-08T12:31:00.000Z"},"title":"Government Internet Shutdowns Have Cost $53 Billion Since 2019","slug":"cost-of-internet-shutdowns","summary_text":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirst published Jan 2, 2020\u003c/strong\u003e. Last updated to include the latest internet shutdowns up to April 30 and our new \u003ca href=\"#election\"\u003eelection internet interference\u003c/a\u003e section.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eInternet Shutdowns: Economic Impact 2019-2024\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"block-highlighted block-highlighted--blue block-highlighted--dot\"\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThere have been \u003cb\u003e611\u003c/b\u003e major internet shutdowns in \u003cb\u003e56\u003c/b\u003e countries since 2019\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e$52.99 billion\u003c/b\u003e: total cost to the world economy of government internet outages over this period\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e2024:\u003c/b\u003e 35 internet shutdowns in 16 countries cost \u003cb\u003e$1.57 billion\u003c/b\u003e to date\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e35,047 hours:\u003c/b\u003e total duration in 2024 of deliberate internet disruptions around the world\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eMyanmar:\u003c/b\u003e most affected nation this year to date ($481.2 million), followed by Pakistan and India.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e$358.3 million:\u003c/b\u003e total cost of election-related shutdowns in 2024 to date\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e90.8%:\u003c/b\u003e proportion of people that have experienced some form of internet censorship during elections in 2024\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e2023:\u003c/b\u003e 196 internet shutdowns in 25 countries cost \u003cb\u003e$9.13\u003c!--more--\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e billion\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e79,238 hours:\u003c/b\u003e total duration in 2023 of deliberate internet disruptions around the world, up 18% vs 2022\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eRussia:\u003c/b\u003e most affected nation in 2022 ($4.02 billion), followed by Ethiopia and Myanmar.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e2022:\u003c/b\u003e 114 internet shutdowns in 23 countries cost \u003cb\u003e$24.61 billion\u003c/b\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e50,095 hours:\u003c/b\u003e total duration in 2022 of deliberate internet outages globally, up 45% vs 2021\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eRussia:\u003c/b\u003e most affected nation in 2022 ($21.59 billion), followed by Myanmar and Iran.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e2021:\u003c/b\u003e 51 internet shutdowns in 22 countries cost $5.62 billion\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e34,595 hours:\u003c/b\u003e total duration of deliberate internet disruptions, 11% more than the year before.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eMyanmar:\u003c/b\u003e most affected nation in 2021 ($2.8 billion), followed by Nigeria and India.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e2020:\u003c/b\u003e 93 internet shutdowns in 21 countries cost $4.01 billion\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e27,165 hours:\u003c/b\u003e total duration of deliberate internet disruptions, up 42% from the previous year.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eIndia:\u003c/b\u003e most affected nation in 2020 ($2.8 billion), followed by Belarus and Yemen.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e2019:\u003c/b\u003e 134 internet shutdowns in 22 countries cost $8.07 billion\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e19,207 hours:\u003c/b\u003e total duration of deliberate internet outages\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eIraq:\u003c/b\u003e most affected nation in 2019 ($2.3 billion), followed by Sudan and India.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n","topicHub":{"slug":"internet-censorship","name":"Internet Censorship"},"meta":{"gbotnews_noindex":false},"teaser_text":{"article":"Deliberate internet outages around the world cost the global economy billions of dollars every year. Our internet shutdowns tracker measures the financial consequences in real-time, while annual reports provide historical data and analysis."},"article_body":{"chapters":[{"heading":"What is the Cost of Internet Shutdowns Tracker?","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns index tracks the the total economic impact of every major deliberate internet outage and social media shutdown around the world as it happens.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis kind of deliberate disruption is internet censorship in its most extreme form. Not only do these internet outages infringe on citizens\u0026#8217; digital rights but they also have severe consequences for the global economy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"#tracker\"\u003elive tracker\u003c/a\u003e below shows the total cost of internet shutdowns for the year so far. Annual reports dating back to 2019 provide detailed analysis for each year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUse the page navigation to jump to the relevant section to see a summary of that year\u0026#8217;s key findings and a link to the full report. You can also use the following links to jump straight to those sections:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"#tracker\"\u003eThe Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns Live Tracker 2024\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNEW: \u003ca href=\"#election\"\u003eElection Internet Interference Analysis\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"#cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2023-report\"\u003eThe Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns in 2023\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"#cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2022-report\"\u003eThe Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns in 2022\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"#cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2021-report\"\u003eThe Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns in 2021\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"#cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2020-report\"\u003eThe Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns in 2020\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"#cost-of-internet-shutdowns-2019-report\"\u003eThe Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns in 2019\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe bar chart below shows the economic impact of all major internet shutdowns between 2019 and 2024. \u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"attachment_1488244\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"\u003e\u003cimg aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1488244\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1488244 size-full\" src=\"/assets/2024/05/Cost-of-Internet-Shutdowns-Yearly-Cost-Elections-2024-Update.png\" alt=\"Bar chart showing the yearly cost of internet shutdowns since 2019.\" width=\"800\" height=\"569\" /\u003e\u003cp id=\"caption-attachment-1488244\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"\u003eBar chart showing the yearly cost of internet shutdowns since 2019.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow Do We Calculate The Cost of Internet Shutdowns?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe monitor every national and region-wide internet outage and social media shutdown imposed by governments around the world in order to determine the duration and extent of the restrictions. This allows us to accurately calculate the economic impact of each internet shutdown using the \u003ca href=\"https://netblocks.org/cost/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCOST tool\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis tool was developed by internet monitoring NGO \u003ca href=\"https://netblocks.org/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eNetblocks\u003c/a\u003e. It is based on indicators from the World Bank, ITU, Eurostat and US Census. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn both our Cost of Internet Shutdowns live tracker and annual reports, we include social media shutdowns, internet blackouts and severe ISP throttling in our calculations. These types of disruption to normal internet access are defined as follows:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eInternet blackouts:\u003c/b\u003e where internet access is completely cut off by the government. This extreme measure cannot be directly circumvented.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eSocial media shutdowns:\u003c/b\u003e where access to popular social media, such as Facebook, WhatsApp or Twitter has been blocked. These can typically be circumvented by using a \u003ca href=\"/best-vpn/\"\u003eVirtual Private Network (VPN) application\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eSevere throttling\u003c/b\u003e: where speeds have been reduced to 2G, which permits the use of SMS and voice calls only. This is an internet blackout in all but name.\n \t\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy Are We Tracking The Cost of Internet Shutdowns?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe are staunchly opposed to internet censorship and governments withholding access to the internet as a form of social control.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur goal in doing this work is to keep public attention focused on just how damaging internet shutdowns truly are. This damage is both direct, in terms of the economic and human cost, and indirect, in that it forces people to \u003ca href=\"/research/free-vpn-investigations/internet-shutdown-vpn-security/\"\u003euse unsafe VPNs\u003c/a\u003e to try to circumvent the restrictions imposed upon them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe are also \u003ca href=\"/research/internet-shutdown-tech-allot/\"\u003einvestigating the companies that provide the technology\u003c/a\u003e that make shutdowns possible, such as DNS filtering.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca class=\"button green-cta\" href=\"/research/vpn-demand-statistics/\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"green-cta--contents\"\u003eSee our live tracker of VPN demand surges around the world\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"green-cta--icon-area\"\u003e\u003csvg xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/2000/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\"\u003e\u003cuse xlink:href=\"#svg-chevron\"\u003e\u003c/use\u003e\u003c/svg\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"tracker\"\u003e\n","highlight_chapter":false,"jumplinks":{"nav_label":"Introduction","include_in_nav":true}},{"heading":"Cost of Internet Shutdowns 2024 Tracker","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"container container--custom\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe following data table shows all countries that have experienced a major internet shutdown to-date in 2024. The table is ordered from greatest to least economic impact, measured in USD.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe data table also indicates the nature of any additional human rights abuses perpetrated during each internet shutdown. A cross indicates that the human right specified was violated during the period around the internet outage.\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"display: none;\" data-table=\"1pHOqmjV8e6BFCeH0kRLhRUguZEUuspO0T4yHGQ2OScc|0\" data-table-height=\"0\" data-jeffrey=\"google\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"spacer\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"container container--custom\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFor data on individual internet shutdowns, see the \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qszOy09KpAA8kfjAi22hxeioLo7cxGMO8gzgHs1JJLw/edit?usp=sharing\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCost of Internet Shutdowns Tracker Data Sheet\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n","highlight_chapter":false,"jumplinks":{"nav_label":"2024","include_in_nav":true}},{"heading":"Internet Shutdowns Background 2024","content":"\u003cp\u003eInternet access remains heavily disrupted in numerous townships in north-west Myanmar for yet another year, despite efforts by local groups to bring them back online. Many of these internet shutdowns date back as far as 2021, while others were imposed in early 2022.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough the accessibility of X (Twitter) in Myanmar continues to increase, it remains blocked around 30% of the time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur 2024 tracker only calculates the economic impact this year to date. Prior years\u0026#8217; data can be found in the \u003ca href=\"/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2023/\"\u003erelevant\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2022/\"\u003eannual\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2021/\"\u003ereports\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile, authorities in India have once again imposed numerous restrictions around the country. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the most significant occurred in the northern state of Haryana. Mobile internet access was restricted in seven districts across the region as farmers marched due to crop prices. \u003csup\u003e\u003ca id=\"fn-1\" href=\"#footnote-1\"\u003e[1]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"election\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"block-highlighted block-highlighted--blue block-highlighted--dot\"\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eElection Internet Interference Analysis\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince the start of 2024, 30 countries have held national elections. And in 10 of these, we have recorded heightened internet censorship, \u003cb\u003eaffecting over 2.27 billion people.\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat\u0026#8217;s 90.8% of people that have had an election so far this year, or more than a quarter of the world\u0026#8217;s population. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe severity of internet interference has varied widely: from removing specific social media accounts in India,\u003csup\u003e\u003ca id=\"fn-2\" href=\"#footnote-2\"\u003e[2]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e to completely blocking access to the internet in Comoros.\u003csup\u003e\u003ca id=\"fn-3\" href=\"#footnote-3\"\u003e[3]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn January, authorities in Bangladesh blocked a news site critical of the government in the run-up to the country\u0026#8217;s parliamentary elections.\u003csup\u003e\u003ca id=\"fn-4\" href=\"#footnote-4\"\u003e[4]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e Meanwhile Taiwan\u0026#8217;s election spurred intense social media censorship in China.\u003csup\u003e\u003ca id=\"fn-5\" href=\"#footnote-5\"\u003e[5]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Indonesia, a popular documentary appeared to be taken offline due to criticism of the government,\u003csup\u003e\u003ca id=\"fn-6\" href=\"#footnote-6\"\u003e[6]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e while a new law passed in December 2023 increased authorities\u0026#8217; capacity to block information online.\u003csup\u003e\u003ca id=\"fn-7\" href=\"#footnote-7\"\u003e[7]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut elections in many smaller countries, such as the Solomon Islands, Portugal and the Switzerland went ahead with no reports of increased internet censorship. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe full list of countries that experienced heightened internet censorship during, or in the run-up to, national elections in 2024 are as follows: \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndia\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndonesia\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePakistan\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBangladesh\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRussia\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTaiwan\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSenegal\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAzerbaijan\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComoros\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaldives\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile much of the internet censorship we documented was too targeted to be included in our financial analysis, large-scale internet shutdowns surrounding elections have still cost an estimated \u003cb\u003e$358.3 million to date.\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePakistan\u0026#8217;s restrictions have been by far the most costly election-related shutdown, costing $351 million. While Senegal\u0026#8217;s internet restrictions during the postponement of their election earlier in the year cost over $7.1 million. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFor data on individual internet shutdowns and election-related internet censorship, see the \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qszOy09KpAA8kfjAi22hxeioLo7cxGMO8gzgHs1JJLw/edit?usp=sharing\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCost of Internet Shutdowns Tracker Data Sheet\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eLongest Internet Shutdowns in 2024\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe bar chart below shows five longest consecutive internet shutdowns in 2024 so far. Note that shutdowns which are ongoing from the previous year are not included, with only shutdowns which began in 2024 shown on the chart.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"attachment_1487851\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"\u003e\u003cimg aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1487851\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1487851 size-full\" src=\"/assets/2024/05/COIS-Tracker-2024-Longest-Shutdown-Update.png\" alt=\"Bar chart showing the five longest new internet shutdowns in 2024 so far.\" width=\"800\" height=\"569\" /\u003e\u003cp id=\"caption-attachment-1487851\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"\u003eBar chart showing the five longest new internet shutdowns in 2024 so far.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n","highlight_chapter":false,"jumplinks":{"nav_label":"By Region","include_in_nav":false}},{"heading":"How Do Governments Shut Down The Internet?","content":"\u003cp id=\"how\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGovernment internet outages typically take the form of total internet blackouts or social media blocks. Another censorship tactic is \u003ca href=\"/guides/how-to-stop-internet-throttling/\"\u003einternet throttling\u003c/a\u003e, where internet speeds are restricted so severely that anything beyond simple text-based communication becomes impossible, such as live-streaming video of protests or human rights abuses.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInternet Service Providers (ISPs) use a number of methods to implement restrictions following government orders to do so. Some of the most common are below.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"block-highlighted\"\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eNetwork Shutdown\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe most crude method of blocking access to the internet is when governments force ISPs and mobile carriers to literally power down critical circuits that make up the country\u0026#8217;s telecommunications network.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGovernments that have complete control over their country\u0026#8217;s network may also install an \u0026#8220;internet kill-switch\u0026#8221;. The UN has condemned the use of such single shut-off mechanisms.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eBorder Gateway Protocol (BGP) Manipulation\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBGP is the protocol that manages the global routing system of the internet, which allows packets of data to travel from their source to their destination. It works via requiring every network node (known as an Autonomous System or AS) making up the global internet to constantly advertise which IP addresses it gives access to.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese announcements flash back and forth across the whole network, marking the route between any two points on that network, each of which is a cluster of IP addresses. This protocol is what makes it possible to access a website or app hosted in another location.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy manipulating the contents of these announcements, or BGP routing tables, an ISP can make the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of any number of its customers \u0026#8220;disappear\u0026#8221; from the internet, effectively cutting off access for those people. This is more precise than a full network shutdown and allows for exceptions to be made, such as for government officials.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eIP Address Blocking\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWebsites and apps rely on web servers to host their content, each of which has its own \u003ca href=\"/tools/what-is-my-ip/#what-is-an-ip-address\"\u003eIP address\u003c/a\u003e. This unique numerical address allows devices to find and communicate with each other.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eISPs can create lists of IP addresses that correspond with services they want to block and then block all internet traffic to or from those IP addresses.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs multiple websites and services can be hosted on a single IP address, this method of internet censorship often leads to unintentionally blocking more than was intended.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDomain Name System (DNS) Filtering\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDNS filtering works in a similar way to IP blocking but is more precise as it targets the domain name rather than an IP address.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInformation associated with domain names, such as \u003ccode\u003etop10vpn.com\u003c/code\u003e, are stored in a database distributed across multiple DNS Servers. Browsers rely on intermediate services, called DNS resolvers, to perform DNS lookups for specific domains against these databases, and retrieve the relevant destination IP address of the server, which then lets the browser communicate with the server that holds the desired URL.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eISPs can program these DNS resolvers to return incorrect information for particular DNS lookups, such as \u003ccode\u003etwitter.com\u003c/code\u003e not existing. When this happens, users are met with an error page instead of the website or app loading as normal.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDeep Packet Inspection (DPI)\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDPI examines the full contents of the data packets making up internet traffic on a network to allow for blocking of specific content or applications. DPI relies on devices between the end user and the rest of the internet, known as middleboxes and which form a \u003ca href=\"/research/huawei-china-surveillance-state/\"\u003ekey role in internet censorship in places like China\u003c/a\u003e. Manufacturers include companies like Huawei and \u003ca href=\"/research/internet-shutdown-tech-allot/\"\u003eAllot\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDPI is also very effective at throttling speeds for specific types of traffic, such as video or Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a result, \u003ca href=\"/best-vpn/china/\"\u003eVPNs that actually work in China\u003c/a\u003e have to use technology like traffic obfuscation to bypass DPI.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eProtocol Blocking\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTargeting specific protocols, such as \u003ca href=\"/guides/udp-vs-tcp/\"\u003eTCP\u003c/a\u003e/IP port number is another method for blocking or throttling certain apps associated with known TCP/IP ports.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGovernments can use this method to target instant messaging services or email for example to prevent citizens from communicating.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n","highlight_chapter":false,"jumplinks":{"nav_label":"By Platform","include_in_nav":false}},{"heading":"How to Bypass An Internet Shutdown","content":"\u003cp id=\"bypass\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026#8217;s not possible to bypass a full internet blackout and actually get online in any normal way, however there are still \u003ca href=\"/guides/bypass-internet-censorship/\"\u003ecountermeasures available\u003c/a\u003e to avoid becoming completely isolated.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFortunately social media shutdowns and other online content blocks are far more common forms of \u003ca href=\"/guides/internet-censorship/\"\u003einternet censorship\u003c/a\u003e and can be circumvented using the right tools.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"block-highlighted\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #c64742;\"\u003eEXPERT TIP:\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/b\u003e In some countries, some of these \u003ca href=\"/what-is-a-vpn/are-vpns-legal/\"\u003etools might be outlawed\u003c/a\u003e, so it\u0026#8217;s important to weigh up any legal risk before proceeding.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eVPNs\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA \u003ca href=\"https://www.top10vpn.com/vpn-explained/\"\u003eVPN works by encrypting a user\u0026#8217;s internet connection\u003c/a\u003e and changing their IP address. Unless an ISP is able to block every single IP address used by a VPN service or identify VPN traffic and block it, then a VPN will allow a user to \u003ca href=\"/what-is-a-vpn/what-are-vpns-used-for/\"\u003eeasily access sites and apps\u003c/a\u003e blocked using IP and DNS filtering.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGovernments will often try to block VPN downloads during a social media shutdown. It\u0026#8217;s therefore important for anyone living under such regimes to be prepared and download a \u003ca href=\"/best-vpn/\"\u003etrustworthy and reliable VPN\u003c/a\u003e that works in their country \u003ci\u003ebefore\u003c/i\u003e an internet outage takes place.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome internet shutdowns will also incorporate protocol blocking to prevent VPNs being used to circumvent them. VPN services that use \u003ca href=\"/guides/vpn-obfuscation/\"\u003eobfuscation techniques\u003c/a\u003e, however, will still work.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTor\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTor is a free, open-source system designed to enable anonymous communication on the web. The name comes from the original project name: “The Onion Router”. Like a VPN, \u003ca href=\"/guides/tor-vs-vpn/\"\u003eTor encrypts your activity and hides your IP address\u003c/a\u003e, enabling users to access blocked online services.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor a dissident in a high-censorship regime, the complete anonymity provided by Tor makes it worth the trade-off in terms of speed and usability. For everyone else, a VPN is the better option.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSignal\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFacebook Messenger and WhatsApp are frequently affected when governments block social media, making it difficult for loved ones to communicate in countries where these platforms might be the only reliable method of personal communication.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMake sure that you and anyone you might need to contact during an internet outage has installed Signal, which has the added benefit of being more secure than other messaging platforms.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eBluetooth Mesh Networks\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProtestors can turn to apps like Bridgefy and FireChat to communicate when governments cut off internet access completely during civil unrest. The apps create local peer-to-peer mesh networks that rely on Bluetooth rather than the internet to exchange messages and data.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eRoaming SIM card\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf a government internet shutdown appears likely and getting online is critical, it\u0026#8217;s worth preparing ahead of time and acquiring international roaming SIM cards from a neighboring country. Foreign mobile carriers will not be affected by any outage and will allow you to get online, albeit at potentially significantly extra cost.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSneakernet\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA sneakernet refers to using human movement to physically deliver information between people affected by an internet outage, or even to smuggle data about what\u0026#8217;s happening out of the country. Download and store important information on thumb drives or external hard drives, ideally encrypted using software such as Veracrypt, and give it to someone traveling to the location of your intended recipient.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"background\"\u003e\n","highlight_chapter":false,"jumplinks":{"nav_label":"By Context","include_in_nav":false}},{"heading":"Cost of Internet Shutdowns 2023 Report","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2023/\"\u003eCost of Internet Shutdowns 2023 annual report\u003c/a\u003e was published on Jan 2 2024. This analysis of every major deliberate internet outage imposed by national governments in 2023 calculated their economic impact to be over $9.13 billion.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow Much Did Internet Shutdowns Cost Us in 2023?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"block-highlighted block-highlighted--dot\"\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e$9.13 billion\u003c/b\u003e: economic cost of internet shutdowns globally in 2023\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e196 major internet outages\u003c/b\u003e took place in 25 countries in 2023\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e79,238 hours:\u003c/b\u003e total duration of major internet shutdowns around the world, up 58% from the previous year\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e747 million people\u003c/b\u003e affected in 2023, up 5% year-on-year\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eRussia\u003c/b\u003e: had the most costly internet shutdowns, suffering a total loss of $4.02 billion\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"spacer\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead the full 2023 \u003ca href=\"/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2023/\"\u003eCost of Internet Shutdowns Report\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n","highlight_chapter":false,"jumplinks":{"nav_label":"2023","include_in_nav":true}},{"heading":"Cost of Internet Shutdowns 2022 Report","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2022/\"\u003eCost of Internet Shutdowns 2022 annual report\u003c/a\u003e was published on Jan 3 2023. This analysis of every major deliberate internet outage imposed by national governments in 2022 calculated their economic impact to be over $24.61 billion.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow Much Did Internet Shutdowns Cost Us in 2022?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"block-highlighted block-highlighted--dot\"\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e$24.61 billion\u003c/b\u003e: economic cost of internet shutdowns globally in 2022, up by 337% from 2021\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e114 major internet outages\u003c/b\u003e took place in 23 countries in 2022\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e50,095 hours:\u003c/b\u003e total duration of major internet shutdowns around the world, up 45% from the previous year\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e710 million people\u003c/b\u003e affected in 2022, up 41% year-on-year\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eRussia\u003c/b\u003e: had the most costly internet shutdowns, suffering a total loss of $21.59 billion\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"spacer\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead the full 2022 \u003ca href=\"/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2022/\"\u003eCost of Internet Shutdowns Report\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n","highlight_chapter":false,"jumplinks":{"nav_label":"2022","include_in_nav":true}},{"heading":"Cost of Internet Shutdowns 2021 Report","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2021/\"\u003eCost of Internet Shutdowns 2021 annual report\u003c/a\u003e was published on Jan 4 2022. This analysis of every major deliberate internet outage imposed by national governments in 2021 calculated their economic impact to be over $5.6 billion.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow Much Did Internet Shutdowns Cost Us in 2021?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"block-highlighted block-highlighted--dot\"\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e$5.62 billion\u003c/b\u003e: economic cost of internet shutdowns globally in 2021, up by 40% from 2020\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e51 major internet outages\u003c/b\u003e took place in 22 countries in 2021\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e34,595 hours:\u003c/b\u003e total duration of major internet shutdowns around the world, up 11% from the previous year\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e504 million people\u003c/b\u003e affected in 2021, up 88% year-on-year\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eMyanmar\u003c/b\u003e: had the most costly internet shutdowns, suffering a total loss of $2.8 billion\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"spacer\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead the full 2021 \u003ca href=\"/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2021/\"\u003eCost of Internet Shutdowns Report\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n","highlight_chapter":false,"jumplinks":{"nav_label":"2021","include_in_nav":true}},{"heading":"Cost of Internet Shutdowns 2020 Report","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2020/\"\u003eCost of Internet Shutdowns 2020 annual report\u003c/a\u003e was published on Jan 4 2021. This analysis of every major government internet shutdown in 2020 revealed their economic impact on a world economy to be in excess of $4 billion.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow Much Did Internet Shutdowns Cost Us in 2020?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"block-highlighted block-highlighted--dot\"\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e$4.01 billion\u003c/b\u003e: economic cost of internet shutdowns globally in 2020, down by 50% from 2019\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e93 major internet outages\u003c/b\u003e took place in 21 countries in 2020\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e27,165 hours:\u003c/b\u003e total duration of major internet shutdowns around the world, up 49% from the previous year\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e268 million people\u003c/b\u003e affected in 2020, up 3% year-on-year\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eIndia\u003c/b\u003e: had the most costly internet shutdowns, suffering a total loss of $2.8 billion\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"spacer\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead the full 2020 \u003ca href=\"/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2020/\"\u003eCost of Internet Shutdowns Report\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n","highlight_chapter":false,"jumplinks":{"nav_label":"2020","include_in_nav":true}},{"heading":"Cost of Internet Shutdowns 2019 Report","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2019/\"\u003e2019 Cost of Internet Shutdowns annual report\u003c/a\u003e was published on Jan 7 2020. The report analyzed for the first time every major intentional internet outage over the course of a year and calculated the global cost of shutdowns in 2019 to have been over $8 billion.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow Much Did Internet Shutdowns Cost Us in 2019?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"block-highlighted block-highlighted--dot\"\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e$8.07 billion\u003c/b\u003e: economic cost of internet shutdowns globally in 2019 \u0026#8211; an increase of 235% since 2015/16\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e134 major internet shutdowns\u003c/b\u003e took place in 22 countries during 2019\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e19,207 hours\u003c/b\u003e: total duration of major government internet outages around the world\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eIraq\u003c/b\u003e: suffered the most economically from internet blackouts, followed by Sudan and India\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhatsApp:\u003c/b\u003e most-blocked platform, experiencing 7,044 total hours of government internet censorship\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"spacer\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead the full 2019 \u003ca href=\"/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/2019/\"\u003eCost of Internet Shutdowns Report\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n","highlight_chapter":false,"jumplinks":{"nav_label":"2019","include_in_nav":true}},{"heading":"Internet Shutdowns Research Methodology","content":"\u003cp\u003eWe review every documented government internet outage and social media shutdown globally in a given year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe include deliberate national internet blackouts along with regional disruptions that are on a sufficient scale to be economically significant.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe nature, duration and severity of each internet outage are sourced from Netblocks real-time graphic data and reports, \u003ca href=\"https://ioda.caida.org/ioda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"\u003eIODA\u003c/a\u003e, the SFLC.IN \u003ca href=\"https://internetshutdowns.in/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"\u003eInternet Shutdown Tracker\u003c/a\u003e, and OONI\u0026#8217;s \u003ca href=\"https://explorer.ooni.org/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003einternet censorship measurement tools\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe economic cost of each internet shutdown is calculated using the Netblocks Cost of Shutdown Tool, which is based on the Brookings Institution method, with CIPESA\u0026#8217;s specialized model used for sub-Saharan Africa. Regional shutdown costs are derived from the region’s economic output as a proportion of national GDP.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePartial internet outages are calculated as a proportion of the above costs based on the most up-to-date internet market-share information publicly available for the affected country.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInternet user data is sourced from the World Bank and government reports. For social media shutdowns, the total number of internet users in the affected location is cited rather than the number of local users of a specific platform. This is because such internet outages affects all internet users\u0026#8217; ability to access social media regardless of their active use of a particular platform.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"block-highlighted block-highlighted--light\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors of all our investigations abide by the journalists\u0026#8217; \u003ca href=\"/code-of-conduct/\"\u003ecode of conduct\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAdditional research by Agata Michalak\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n","highlight_chapter":false,"jumplinks":{"nav_label":"Methodology","include_in_nav":true}},{"heading":"References","content":"\u003cp id=\"footnote-1\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e[1] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/02/india-right-to-peaceful-protest-under-threat-due-to-mounting-restrictions-and-escalating-crackdown-on-farmers-march/ \u003ca href=\"#fn-1\"\u003e↩\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"footnote-2\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e[2] https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/x-withholds-some-political-posts-in-india-after-poll-bodys-takedown-order-5457253/ \u003ca href=\"#fn-2\"\u003e↩\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"footnote-3\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e[3] https://pulse.internetsociety.org/shutdowns/comoros-internet-suspended-among-election-unrest/ \u003ca href=\"#fn-3\"\u003e↩\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"footnote-4\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e[4] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/bangladesh-newspaper-site-blocked-as-country-votes/articleshow/106614560.cms \u003ca href=\"#fn-4\"\u003e↩\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"footnote-5\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e[5] https://thediplomat.com/2024/01/watching-taiwans-free-elections-chinese-internet-users-lament-one-party-rule/ \u003ca href=\"#fn-5\"\u003e↩\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"footnote-6\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e[6] https://advox.globalvoices.org/2024/02/17/dirty-vote-documentary-on-alleged-election-fraud-goes-viral-in-indonesia/ \u003ca href=\"#fn-6\"\u003e↩\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"footnote-7\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e[7] https://thediplomat.com/2024/01/censorship-ai-disinformation-and-repression-undermine-asias-elections/ \u003ca href=\"#fn-7\"\u003e↩\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n","highlight_chapter":false,"jumplinks":{"nav_label":"2020","include_in_nav":false}}]},"visibility":{"view_password":null}},"placeholders":{"totalProductCount":{"value":61,"format":"number"},"totalProviderCount":{"value":61,"format":"number"},"totalUserReviews":{"value":4749,"format":"number"},"totalUserReviewsCount":{"value":4749,"format":"number"},"globalProviderCount":{"value":49,"format":"number"},"globalProductCount":{"value":61,"format":"number"},"androidtvvpncount":{"value":35,"format":"number"}},"breadcrumbs":{"path":[{"name":"Research","url":"/research/"},{"name":"Internet Censorship","url":"/research/internet-censorship/"}],"page_name":"Cost of Internet Shutdowns"},"seo":{"title":"The Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns | Top10VPN","metadesc":"Our live internet shutdowns index measures the financial consequences in real-time of major disruptions and provides full reports on previous years' 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