SHRINKING DEMOCRACY, GROWING VIOLENCE 16 to suppress protests and online criticism of the government’s handling of the crisis.59 Access to information and communication channels is a critical lifeline that needs to be protected in times of crisis — never deliberately severed. III. New and continuing trends in 2023 Shutdowns continue to shroud grave human rights abuses and violence There were 173 shutdowns that occurred alongside violence in 2023, compared to 137 in 2022, 111 in 2021, and 100 in 2020. While the disturbing increase of shutdowns associated with violence is connected in part to the increase in disruptions during armed conflict, reports of violence during shutdown periods are also rampant during protests, elections, and political instability. In India alone, authorities ordered 65 shutdowns in 2023 specifically attempting to address communal violence. Overall, despite claims from authorities that they are shutting down the internet to curb violence during moments of tension, evidence shows that shutdowns are ineffective at doing so and likely have the opposite effect.60 Far from just a misguided reactionary measure, shutdowns also impede accountability where attackers disrupt access to cover up their own horrific offenses, including killings, torture, and inhumane treatment of vulnerable people and communities.61 Shutdowns that ocurred alongside violence 6 2023 17 2022 3 13 7 2021 11 1 2020 10 0 59 Access Now (2023). In the aftermath of devastating earthquake, authorities in Turkey must #KeepItOn. https://www. accessnow.org/press-release/earthquake-turkey-keepiton/; Access Now (2023). Libya floods: People need reliable internet now. https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/libya-floods-internet/ 60 Jan Rydzak (2019). Of Blackouts and Bandhs: The Strategy and Structure of Disconnected Protest in India. https://papers. ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3330413/; see also Anita R. Gohdes (2023). Repression in the Digital Age: Surveillance, Censorship, and the Dynamics of State Violence, Oxford University Press. In Ch. 5, Gohdes finds that, “All else equal, Internet shutdowns and the days immediately before and after the shutdown are likely to be accompanied by a significant increase in violent state repression.” 61 See Global Partners Digital (2023). Evading Accountability Through Internet Shutdowns: Trends in Africa and the Middle East. https://www.gp-digital.org/publication/evading-accountability-through-internet-shutdowns-trends-in-africa-and-the-middleeast/