INTERNET SHUTDOWNS IN 2023 when communications systems are disrupted.27 We are monitoring developments around these trends closely as they continue to evolve in 2024. The devastating impact of internet shutdowns in times of conflict cannot be overstated, exacerbating people’s desperation, fear, and panic. Conflict-related shutdowns have put people’s lives in real danger or even resulted in loss of life,28 impeded delivery of humanitarian aid,29 and blocked access to emergency healthcare services.30 They have also made it extremely difficult for journalists and human rights defenders to document war crimes and other atrocities.31 Conflict-related shutdowns carry long-term impacts, particularly where infrastructure has been degraded or destroyed. In Ethiopia’s Tigray region, after two years of complete blackouts amid devastating conflict, a negotiated peace beginning in November 2022 included agreements to restore internet access to the region.32 However, as of December 31, 2023, 1,153 days since the start of the shutdown in Tigray, connectivity was still well below pre-war levels. Other examples from past conflicts include the ongoing blocking of TikTok in India following military clashes with China in June 202033 and the ongoing shutdown in Panjgur, Pakistan following clashes between regional troops and the Pakistani military in early 2022.34 13 In situations of conflict and violence, internet shutdowns targeting civilian populations and infrastructure are a violation of international human rights and international humanitarian law, which protect non-military objects especially when needed for the provision of humanitarian assistance.35 Likewise, documented internet shutdowns are an important piece of evidence in pursuing accountability for crimes against humanity and other atrocities when armed actors disconnect whole communities to enable, facilitate, or cover up their abuses.36 It remains essential that states neither neglect nor derogate from their obligations under international human rights, humanitarian, and criminal law. Instead, all stakeholders should work together to strengthen international norms and accountability mechanisms around weaponization of internet shutdowns during conflict and see perpetrators brought to justice.37 Shutdowns during protests and instability In 2019, we saw the largest wave of global protests in a generation.38 Authorities responded by imposing 65 protest-related internet shutdowns in 30 countries, the highest annual number of such shutdowns on record. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, both protests and the disruptions used to counter them dropped off 27 See, e.g., CNN (2024). Ukraine relies on Starlink for its drone war. Russia appears to be bypassing sanctions to use the devices too. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/25/europe/ukraine-starlink-drones-russia-intl-cmd/index.html/ 28 See, e.g., Access Now (2022). Stranded, suffocated, and in pain: 15 stories from Tigray’s internet siege. https://www. accessnow.org/15-stories-from-tigrays-internet-siege/ 29 See, e.g., Chicago Sun Times (2023). Internet, phone networks collapse in Gaza, threatening to worsen humanitarian crisis. https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/11/16/23964979/internet-phone-networks-collapse-in-gaza-threatening-to-worsenhumanitarian-crisis/ 30 See, e.g., Internews (2021). Internet Shutdowns and the Healthcare System in Zimbabwe - Information Saves Lives. https:// internews.org/blog/internet-shutdowns-and-the-healthcare-system-in-zimbabwe/ 31 Rest of World (2022). Internet blackouts are hiding an ongoing human rights catastrophe. https://restofworld.org/2022/ blackouts-myanmar-atrocities/ 32 Access Now (2022). After years in the dark, Tigray is slowly coming back online. https://www.accessnow.org/tigrayshutdown-slowly-coming-back-online/ 33 New York Times (2020). India Bans Nearly 60 Chinese Apps, Including TikTok and WeChat. https://www.nytimes. com/2020/06/29/world/asia/tik-tok-banned-india-china.html 34 The Express Tribune (2023). Panjgur without internet. https://tribune.com.pk/letter/2254764/panjgur-without-internet/ 35 ICRC (1999). The denial of humanitarian assistance as a crime under international law. https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/ resources/documents/article/other/57jq32.htm/ 36 Access Now (2024). Legal explainer: Internet and telecommunications shutdowns in the assessment of international crimes. https://www.accessnow.org/legal-explainer-internet-telecommunications-shutdowns-international-crimes/ 37 See Access Now (2023). Content and platform governance in times of crisis: applying international humanitarian, criminal, and human rights law. https://www.accessnow.org/cogo-in-times-of-crisis 38 The New Yorker (2019). The Story of 2019: Protests in Every Corner of the Globe. https://www.newyorker.com/news/ourcolumnists/the-story-of-2019-protests-in-every-corner-of-the-globe/