India suffered longest internet shutdowns in 2020 globally for the second consecutive year

Advertisement
India suffered longest internet shutdowns in 2020 globally for the second consecutive year
India experienced 8,927 hours of internet blackout during the year 2020. TOI
New Delhi, India suffered the longest internet shutdowns in 2020 for the second year running globally, bearing the biggest economic impact of $2.8 billion and 8,927 hours lost, affecting 10.3 million users in total, a new report from the UK-based privacy and security research firm Top10VPN has revealed.
Advertisement

As in previous years, India continued to restrict internet access more than any other country -- over 75 times in 2020.

"The majority of these short blackouts were highly-targeted, affecting groups of villages or individual city districts and so were not included in this report, which focuses on larger region-wide shutdowns. The true economic cost is therefore likely to be even higher than the $2.8 billion we have calculated," the researchers informed.

Complimentary Tech Event
Transform talent with learning that works
Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More
In Kashmir, authorities lifted restrictions in March 2020 after imposing in August 2019.

"However, after the restrictions were lifted authorities continued to severely throttle internet speeds, with citizens only able to access 2G connections," it mentioned.

Advertisement

In India, internet blackouts lasted for 1,655 hours while bandwidth throttling resulted in 7,272 hours lost.

"India and Myanmar were responsible for the longest shutdowns for the second year running, with restrictions originally imposed in 2019 continuing throughout 2020," the report mentioned.

Chad again restricted access to WhatsApp after they blocked the app for more than a year in 2018/19.

"Combined, these countries experienced a total 64% increase in the number of hours of restrictions in 2020, despite the global public health emergency".

Globally, the internet shutdowns cost the world economy, already devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic, a further $4 billion. This, however, represents a 50% decrease in impact compared to $8.05 billion in 2019.

Advertisement
Nearly 268 million people were affected by major disruptions in 2020 globally, up 3% year-on-year.

According to the report, 93 major shutdowns took place in 21 countries in 2020 and the total duration of major disruptions around the world was 27,165 hours, up 49% from the previous year.

Globally, internet blackouts resulted in 10,693 hours lost and internet throttling in 10,920 hours lost.

Social media shutdowns resulted in 5,552 hours lost, the report said.


SEE ALSO:
OnePlus Band India launch date, price and everything you need to know
WhatsApp will stop working if you do not agree to its new terms and privacy policies
Toyota Fortuner 2021 launched at a starting price of ₹29.98 lakh — here’s all you need to know from looks to specification and features

Advertisement
{{}}