14 | RISING REPRESSION MEETS GLOBAL RESISTANCE: INTERNET SHUTDOWNS IN 2025 IV. New and continuing trends in 2025 Every year we surface trends from the data on internet shutdowns that may be useful in pushing back against network disruptions and ensuring a secure and open internet for all people. This year we’re highlighting the continued co-occurrence of internet shutdowns and grave human rights abuses and violence, the growing number of cross-border shutdowns, the spike in alternative connectivity shutdowns, and the increasing use of communications platform blocking. Shutdowns shrouding grave human rights abuses and violence In 2025, we documented 70 shutdowns coinciding with grave human rights abuses, such as murder, torture, rape, or apparent war crimes and atrocities,62 in 21 countries. Under the cover of internet shutdowns, governments, militaries, and police forces targeted civilians, conducting airstrikes on homes, hospitals, schools, and religious sites; burning down villages; firing live ammunition and killing groups of people including protesters; and blocking entire populations from receiving humanitarian aid. Given that there have been at least 241 shutdowns coinciding with grave human rights abuses since 2022 alone, the #KeepItOn coalition continues to call for investigations into international crimes to consider how internet shutdowns can conceal evidence, can show the intent of an existing policy to harm people,63 and as the International Criminal Court (ICC) has correctly found,64 may directly facilitate or contribute to international crimes.65 Each shutdown has real human consequences.66 Following are three case studies of underreported shutdowns linked to alleged heinous human rights violations, and possibly war crimes or crimes against humanity. While we provide as much information as we can, shutdowns make it extremely difficult to document and verify atrocities, and it is often only later that we learn the full truth of what happened on the ground.67 62 See supra note 10 64 See supra note 18. International Criminal Court (2025). 66 See supra note 13. Access Now (2025). 63 ICRC (2025). Offline and in danger: the humanitarian consequences of connectivity disruptions. https://blogs.icrc.org/law-andpolicy/2025/07/01/offline-and-in-danger-the-humanitarian-consequences-of-connectivity-disruptions/. 65 Ibid. 67 Access Now (2026). #KeepItOn: Iran plunged into digital darkness, concealing human rights abuses. https://www.accessnow.org/pressrelease/keepiton-iran-digital-darkness-human-rights-abuses/