Internet shutdowns cost India more in the first half of 2023 than they did in all of 2022: Report

According to data from global tracker Top10VPN, the total economic impact of these shutdowns in India has reached $255.2 million in just the first half of 2023.

India has incurred greater financial losses in 2023 due to internet shutdowns compared to the entire previous year, Business Standard reported on Monday.

According to data from global tracker Top10VPN, the total economic impact of these shutdowns in India has reached Rs 2,091 crore ($255.2 million) in just the first half of 2023. In contrast, the total cost of internet shutdowns for all of 2022 was Rs 1,510 crore ($184.3 million).

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On June 15, the Manipur government decided to extend the internet ban in the state in order to maintain law and order following the ethnic clash that erupted between the Meiteis and Kukis on May 3. The state has been without internet access for over 40 days so far this year.

India's history of internet shutdowns has been confirmed by other reports as well, some of which Business Standard compiled. For instance, according to a February 2023 report released by the non-profit organization Access Now, India has consistently had the highest number of internet shutdowns worldwide for the past five years.

In 2022, the country had 84 shutdowns, a decrease from 2021's 107. So far this year, of the 80 shutdowns worldwide that Access Now has recorded, India has accounted for almost 40 per cent of them all.

With specific regard to state governments that often impose shutdowns, a joint report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) found that Rajasthan had the highest number of shutdowns in the country, with 85 occurrences between January 2020 and December 2022, followed by Arunachal Pradesh with eight, and Maharashtra and West Bengal with six each.

The report also pointed out that internet shutdowns disproportionately affect the most vulnerable and "marginalized populations who rely on government programs and social protection systems".

It's worth noting that the data does not include shutdowns in Jammu and Kashmir, where the Centre has often imposed a blanket internet ban lasting several months at a stretch. Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) notes that the erstwhile state has had the highest number of internet shutdowns in the country.