142 Dictating the Internet: In Philippines, in January 2015, telecommunications providers shut down mobile services and internet connections during a five-day visit of Pope Francis, pursuant to directions from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).561 The shutdown was justified on the basis of the need to ensure the safety of the Pope as mobile devices could be used to trigger explosives.562 In January 2018, Filipino media-monitoring group Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) expressed concern that “shutting down communication networks is becoming the norm”, noting 11 instances of shutdowns between 2016 and 2017 that the NTC had approved, namely during the Sinulog, Dinagyang and Feast of the Black Nazarene festivals.563 FMA called for transparency in shutdown implementation procedures to guard against potential abuse by the authorities, emphasizing that “(s) tripping the general public of their means to communicate restricts them from contacting emergency services, authorities, and each other; paralyzes their businesses and jobs; and further places them at risk”.564 In Vietnam, in May 2016, the government shut down access to Facebook during a three-day visit of then-US President Barack Obama in an apparent attempt to silence activists, human rights defenders or dissidents, who often use the social media platform for advocacy. Access Now criticized the Vietnamese government’s move, stating, “in the name of public safety, shutdowns instead cut off access to vital information, e-financing, and emergency services, plunging whole societies into fear and destabilizing the internet’s power to support small business livelihoods and drive economic development.”565 Access to Facebook had been restricted or blocked in other instances earlier in that same month, ahead of parliamentary elections and during a period where protests had intensified in response to an environmental disaster.566 561 Lynda C. Corpus, ‘Papal visit: Netizens react to disrupted telco services’, Rappler, 16 January 2015, Available at: https://www.rappler.com/specials/pope-francis-ph/81044-netizens-react-disruptedtelco-services-papal-visit 562 Mick Basa, ‘No network service? It’s for Pope’s safety, say telcos’, Rappler, 16 January 2015, Available at: https://www.rappler.com/specials/pope-francis-ph/80989-telcos-disrupt-signalpope-visit; Rappler, ‘As Pope Francis leaves, network services returns to normal’, 19 January 2015, Available at: https://www.rappler.com/specials/pope-francis-ph/81369-pope-francis-leavesnetwork-signals-back-normal 563 Interaksyon, ‘Internet shutdowns: A myth of security and public safety’, 26 January 2018, Available at: http://www.interaksyon.com/infotek/2018/01/26/117929/internet-shutdowns-amyth-of-security-and-public-safety/ 564 Ibid. 565 Access Now, ‘Vietnam blocks Facebook and cracks down on human rights activists during Obama visit’, 23 May 2016, Available at: https://www.accessnow.org/vietnam-blocks-facebook-humanrights-obama/ 566 Yasmeen Abutaleb, ‘Vietnam restricted access to Facebook during Obama visit: activists’, Reuters, 27 May 2016, Available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-obama-facebookidUSKCN0YH2MZ