Government Internet Shutdowns Cost $19.7B in 2025 1/9/26, 2:49 PM Looking Ahead to 2026 2025 showed that internet shutdowns are becoming bigger, smarter, and more strategic. Russia’s massive wave and the rise of pre-emptive Information Control events in multiple countries signal that 2026 could bring even more sophisticated disruptions: partial blackouts, targeted throttling, and protocol-level restrictions that are harder to detect and circumvent. For users, businesses, and platforms, resilience is key: prepare for digital disruption, use anti-censorship VPNs, diversify cloud and communication tools, and stay alert to emerging censorship tactics. Shutdowns are no longer limited to isolated crises, they’re spreading as governments increasingly view internet access itself as a lever of control. 2026 may require even more proactive monitoring and mitigation. How Governments Shut Down the Internet Government-imposed internet outages usually take the form of full internet blackouts or social media blocks. Another common censorship tactic is internet throttling, where speeds are reduced so drastically that anything beyond basic text-based communication becomes unusable. This makes activities like live-streaming protests or documenting human rights abuses effectively impossible. https://www.top10vpn.com/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/ Page 21 of 33