23 | RISING REPRESSION MEETS GLOBAL RESISTANCE: INTERNET SHUTDOWNS IN 2025 VI. New and entrenched offenders in 2025 Since we began tracking in 2016, we have documented shutdowns in 100 countries around the world. New offenders join the shame list each year. There were seven new countries in 2025 and seven in 2024, an alarming sign of the growing normalization of shutdowns despite the many harms they inflict.120 Even one shutdown is unacceptable, but identifying first-time offenders can help human rights advocates target governments at risk of becoming repeat offenders, increasing the pressure to desist. According to our records from 2016-2024, there are 23 offenders that have shut down the internet only once in a calendar year, while the remaining offenders have imposed shutdowns across multiple years. These entrenched offenders compound harm through their systematic and sometimes institutionalized use of shutdowns year after year, negatively impacting entire populations and communities, and creating new challenges for civil society to prepare, respond, and demand accountability. First-time offenders Albania In March 2025, Albanian authorities imposed a one-year ban on TikTok, arguing that the platform fuels violence among children, an allegation company representatives denied. The blocking was spurred by an incident where a teenager killed a peer, which raised fears over the influence of social media on minors and prompted regulatory intervention.121 Angola On July 19, 2025, Angolan authorities shut down internet services for at least three hours in response to planned anti-government protests against rising fuel prices. Activists condemned the shutdowns as unlawful and described it as a deliberate attempt by the government to limit mobilization, stop information flows, and quell the protests.122 Cambodia On June 13, 2025, Cambodian authorities cut internet services coming into the country from across the border via Thai ISPs.123 This shutdown occurred in the midst of heightened border tensions and followed a warning from Thai authorities days prior that they would cut power and internet to combat call center scams in Cambodia.124 120 See supra note 13. Access Now (2025). 122 See supra note 30. Ver Angola (2025). 121 CNN (2025). Albania shuts down TikTok for a year amid concerns over violence among children. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/06/europe/albania-shuts-down-tiktok-intl-latam/. 123 Radio Free Asia (2025). Cambodia cuts internet from Thailand as tensions grow after border clash. https://www.rfa.org/english/cambodia/2025/06/13/cambodia-thailand-border/. 124 Thai PBS World (2025). Thailand considers power, internet cuts to combat call-centre scams in Cambodia. https://world.thaipbs.or.th/detail/thailand-considers-power-internet-cuts-to-combat-callcentre-scams-in-cambodia/57801/.