themselves, access information, document and disseminate their lived experiences, record evidence of atrocities or abuse, mobilize for collective action, report missing relatives, fundraise, and share life-saving tips and resources. These harms are intensified when press access to conflict zones is limited. Israel’s barring of foreign journalists from Gaza has seen Palestinians — professional journalists, social media influencers, photographers, and everyday citizens — turning to social media to document their realities in real-time, and to draw international attention to the atrocities being perpetrated against them. Likewise in Sudan, where 90% of the country’s media infrastructure has been destroyed, and many journalists displaced or exiled, shutdowns have deepened the country’s “information vacuum” and global isolation. The collapse of internet and telecommunications infrastructure has forced Sudan’s journalists to continue their work unprotected and under threat of abduction and enforced disappearance, killing, arbitrary arrests, torture, and sexual violence. In the absence of reliable media information, people in Sudan are relying on social media to find out about safe routes or search for missing loved ones. Meanwhile, the shutdowns also hinder international human rights and humanitarian organizations from monitoring and documenting the situation, or from providing situational updates. M., TEACHER, RAFAH CITY, GAZA / M., DOCTOR, GEZIRA STATE, KHAR- SHUTDOWN STARTED: JANUARY 4 TOUM, SUDAN / SHUTDOWN START- 2024 ED: FEBRUARY 24, 2025 “My father suffers from cancer and his health condition has worsened, especially when we heard about the hospitals being stormed. I constantly wondered how he was doing because I couldn’t reach him…During the 10day communications shutdown, we were completely isolated from the outside world and had no information about what was happening in the Gaza Strip. We relied on journalists to answer our questions and worried greatly if they told us about airstrikes in close proximity to where our families were. It never occurred to me that we would be unjustifiably deprived of such a basic right as communication. Amid a raging war, the least we can do is stay in touch with our loved ones, but by attacking telephone switchboards and disconnecting the internet, that’s exactly what the Israeli occupation prevented us from doing. The outage even prevented me from transferring money to family members in northern Gaza suffering from starvation, food scarcity, and skyrocketing prices. People were prevented from receiving muchneeded financial assistance during the most difficult of times.” “I couldn’t contact my family outside Sudan, and they were very worried. We were cut off from the world in a terrible way. We had no idea what was happening outside; all we could hear were the terrifying, loud sounds of clashes.” 5. SOCIETAL HARMS Internet shutdowns also cause long-term, cumulative harms across entire societies. Losing connection to one’s family and friends not only causes conflict-affected individuals severe psychological distress, fear, and anxiety; it also undermines social order. Internet shutdowns disrupt fundamental social connections, break down familial and social support systems, and lead to social isolation and the loss of community ties — all elements that are essential for social cohesion and collective resilience. Community resilience is further undermined by the spread of misinformation and disinformation, which