INTERNET SHUTDOWNS IN 2023 Worst offenders are entrenched and emboldened in the use of shutdowns In 2023, we saw longstanding worst offenders double down on their use of internet shutdowns, a display of impunity that should make these countries a top priority for advocacy and accountability measures. Whether perpetrators have repeatedly ordered more targeted shutdowns or persist in imposing longerterm, all-encompassing shutdowns, or a combination of both, the patterns of entrenchment are clear. The list of countries with at least four shutdowns recorded in a single year grew from nine in 2022 to 10 in 2023, namely Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Iraq, Myanmar, Pakistan, Palestine (all imposed by Israel), Senegal, and Ukraine (six of which were imposed by Russia). India, Iran, Myanmar, and Ukraine made up four of the top five countries with the highest number of shutdowns in both 2022 and 2023. These 10 countries accounted for 237 total shutdowns in 2023, keeping millions in the dark relentlessly and oftentimes unpredictably. The five countries with the highest number of shutdowns in 2023 accounted disproportionately for 211 shutdowns, or 75% of the global total. Even when repeated shutdowns are predictable, they are punishing. Whether it is Iraqi authorities cutting off the 21 internet during 58 school exam periods or the Iranian province Sistan and Baluchestan imposing 28 shutdowns during Friday prayers, deliberate network disruptions are destabilizing, disproportionate, and a clear violation of human rights. Perpetrators also continued to impose prolonged shutdowns across 2023, in most cases extending shutdowns that were in place since 2021 or 2022. There are 35 shutdowns that were carried over from 2023 into 2024, which breaks the record of 30 shutdowns that were ongoing from 2022 into 2023. Of the current ongoing shutdowns, 26 are platform blocks, while the rest are full network shutdowns in regions across Ethiopia, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Palestine. Full connectivity has still not been restored to all parts of Tigray, Ethiopia since disruptions began in November 2020, and as we have highlighted, by December 31, 2023, people in the region had endured 1,153 days in the dark. Meanwhile, people in dozens of townships across Myanmar suffered up to 864 days of shutdowns by the end of 2023, as the junta continued to use blackouts as a means of control. And in Panjgur, Pakistan, people have been subjected to an ongoing mobile internet shutdown that began during a military conflict in February 2022, leaving them without mobile access for 694 days as of December 31, 2023. People in 17 countries were subjected to internet shutdowns for the full 365 days of 2023. REPEAT OFFENDERS While at least 57 of the 82 countries on the offenders list have had shutdowns in more than one reporting year, a group of 21 countries has shown a propensity to relentlessly reach for the kill switch again and again. Algeria, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Türkiye and UAE Bangladesh, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan and Yemen Implemented or maintained a shutdown every year since 2016 Experienced shutdowns in 5 or more consecutive years since 2016 Chad, China, Russia and Uganda Experienced shutdowns in 5 or more years since 2016 Algeria, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Türkiye, and the UAE have each implemented or maintained a shutdown every year since we began recording in 2016. Bangladesh, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan, and Yemen each experienced shutdowns in five or more consecutive years. And while there may have been a gap year or two, people in Chad, China, Russia, and Uganda have also experienced shutdowns in five or more years.