‘Vishwaguru’ in internet shutdowns

India has again earned the dubious distinction of leading the world in the number and extent of internet shutdowns for the sixth consecutive year in 2023.

According to a global internet advocacy group called Keep It On, there were 116 instances of shutdown last year. Manipur and Punjab saw the most number of shutdowns.

The report said that more and more shutdown orders are being imposed regionally rather than locally. There were 47 shutdowns in Manipur and a state-wide shutdown in Punjab. 

In Manipur, the services were suspended for 212 days in 2023. As many as 13 states and UTs witnessed shutdowns in 2023, and the number of shutdowns and their durations have steadily increased over the years.

India’s dubious leadership in the matter of shutdowns can be seen from the fact that the second position is held by Myanmar, which saw 37 shutdown orders, followed by Iran, Palestine and Ukraine. 

The internet is an essential means of communication now. India has over 825 million internet users, the second largest user base by country in the world.

In 2023, internet penetration grew 8 per cent year-on-year. Digital entertainment and communications and social media are part of everyday life and suspension of internet services disrupts normal life. Importantly, internet shutdowns are also a denial of the right to freedom of speech and expression. It stops the flow of information and is akin to censorship. The Supreme Court has more than once made it clear that it is against internet shutdowns.

In the Anuradha Bhasin case, it ruled that government-imposed restrictions on internet access must be temporary, limited, lawful and proportionate. It has also put in place conditions and safeguards to ensure that the government uses its powers fairly. But the shutdowns have only increased. 

Kashmir and Manipur have suffered the most from internet shutdowns. In Kashmir, the services were suspended for months after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

It is used as a weapon to counter protests and agitations such as the farmers’ protests. It is not a tool to be used in the service of security and law and order. It is actually counterproductive because when normal communications and conversations are banned, rumours and fake news take over and distrust of authority grows. It increases social stress and weakens civil society, and makes the State more authoritarian.

Shutdowns are very rare in democracies and far fewer than in India even in dictatorships and countries torn by strife and war. They also have a high economic cost. Internet suspensions reportedly cost India $1.9 billion in the first half of 2023. They have become another sign of the weakening of democracy in the country.