22 | RISING REPRESSION MEETS GLOBAL RESISTANCE: INTERNET SHUTDOWNS IN 2025 V. Shutdown impact stories from 2025 In 2025, the devastating impact of internet shutdowns was again laid bare. Authorities continued to weaponize connectivity during critical national moments. They violated people’s fundamental rights, endangered their lives, cut them off from life-saving information and essential services, disconnected them from their loved ones, and crashed their aspirations by undermining the economy.117 From Angola to Iran, denying people access to the internet and digital communications isn’t just a betrayal of public trust. It stands in direct conflict with the human rightscentered global digital transformation agenda that is essential for development and growth. The following testimonies are accounts from individuals directly affected by internet shutdowns, anonymized for their safety. Iran IT Manager, June 2025 T he internet shutdown in Iran deeply affected me both personally and emotionally. As an Iranian living in exile in Sweden, I rely entirely on internet and mobile communication to stay connected with my family and friends inside Iran. When the shutdown happened, I was completely cut off from my loved ones. I didn’t know if they were alive, injured, or safe. This caused me tremendous anxiety, fear, and emotional stress for several days.” Myanmar Activist, June 2025 W hen there’s an emergency — like an airstrike — being able to communicate can literally decide who survives. Even when someone gets sick, if we don’t have internet, we have to send someone from the village on a motorbike to ask for help. The roads are rough, and it’s dangerous in conflict areas. By the time help reaches us, it might already be too late. Every minute lost lowers someone’s chance of survival.” Russia Parent, September 2025 M y children need the internet to study on a regular basis. The daughter is in 10th grade, the son is in the academy, where some classes are held remotely. It's terrible without the internet. Children have to search for internet connection around their relatives' apartments. The neighbors are doing the same, forced to go out somewhere too.” Tanzania Journalist, November 2025 T he internet shutdown had a profound impact on my personal and professional life. As someone who works in the field of journalism and communication, my daily routine heavily depends on internet access for research, information gathering, publishing, and maintaining contact with colleagues and sources. When the shutdown occurred, it completely disrupted my ability to perform my duties effectively. ” Venezuela Activist, July 2024 I nternet shutdowns have made the past year very complex for accessing information inside Venezuela. Throughout the electoral process and after, we had downed internet connections due to power outages and the regime’s blocking of social media for scheduled times of the day. Almost all news websites were unreachable, and even some streaming services were blocked. As someone always ‘connected’ due to my work in civil society organizations, nothing prepared me for how anxiety-inducing it would be to expect all communications to be shut down at any time without any warning. I was prepared with data backups, VPNs, external batteries, and even walkietalkies to talk to my friends living nearby, but the reality is that no one can be fully prepared for these types of scenarios.” Note: The testimonies above were collected through Access Now’s Shutdown Stories118 project, as well as through partners. We thank the Bridging Voices Project, led by Border Voices and Friends Without Borders Foundation119 for their contributions. 117 Access Now (2025). Why Annobón’s internet shutdown should matter to the world. https://www.accessnow.org/shutdown-stories-annobon/. 119 Friends Without Borders Foundation on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/fwbfoundation. 118 Access Now (n.d.). Shutdown stories. https://www.accessnow.org/tag/shutdown-stories/.