FREEDOM ON THE NET 2026 Seismic Shifts on the Global Internet Freedom House Long-term Internet Blackouts Intensify Crises Iranian authorities cut off internet access nationwide for 88 days, joining the ranks of the longest shutdowns Freedom on the Net has recorded. Many were enforced during brutal conflicts and government crackdowns, carrying a steep human cost. = 1 day offline Ethiopia Ethiopia Myanmar’s civilian government cut off mobile internet in parts of Rakhine and Chin States in June 2019, in areas where the military carried out brutal crackdowns against the Rohingya and the Rakhine ethnic minorities. The overwhelming majority of people in Rakhine and Chin States relied on mobile networks to connect to the internet. Mobile access was restored in some areas between August 2019 and February 2020, and limited 2G access was restored in August 2020. National 101 Amhara Tigray Days Began Apr. 2023 Began Nov. 2020 818 Days India Myanmar Rakhine & Chin West Bengal — Dhupguri Began June 2019 Began May 2024 93 Days Ethiopia Oromia India Began Jan. 2020 89 Days Jammu & Kashmir Began Aug. 2019 550 Iran Days Nationwide Began Feb. 2026 Bangladesh 88 Days Sudan 354 Days Nationwide Began Feb. 2024 58 Days Amhara Began Aug. 2023 Azerbaijan 347 Nationwide Days India Manipur Began May 2023 @freedomhouse In February 2026, Iranian authorities initiated the longest nationwide internet shutdown Freedom on the Net has ever recorded, as the United States and Israel launched military strikes against the country. For approximately 88 days, the majority of Iran’s population was prevented from accessing the internet as missiles dropped over major Iranian cities. While the blackout was lifted in May, most people have access to only a limited set of websites. Cox’s Bazar Began Sep. 2019 Ethiopia 4 Ethiopian authorities imposed a total internet and telecommunications blackout in Tigray Region after conflict broke out between federal and Tigrayan security forces in November 2020. The disruption lasted over two years, marking the longest subnational blackout in Freedom on the Net’s history. It severely impeded the distribution of humanitarian aid and prevented the media from reporting on Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Tigrayan military actions that human rights groups later described as mass atrocity crimes. 592 Days Starting in September 2019, Bangladeshi authorities restricted 3G and 4G mobile connectivity in Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. Authorities also ordered service providers to prevent Rohingya refugees from purchasing SIM cards, amounting to a deliberate effort to restrict the vulnerable Rohingya community from connecting to the internet. In a shift, however, this year’s survey marked Bangladesh’s first year with no internet shutdown in a decade, following the ouster of the repressive Awami League government amid student protests in 2025. Subnational Began Sep. 2020 142 47 Days The Sudanese people experienced a nationwide shutdown as the civil war between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) began. The nationwide disruption was imposed in February 2024, and extremely limited connectivity returned after 10 days. Wider service was not restored until May, and serious disruptions have persisted because of damage to internet infrastructure. The restrictions prevented families from connecting during wartime and impeded the delivery of humanitarian aid. Methodology note: Durations reported in this graphic are based on analysis of internet measurement data and news reports, and should be considered approximate. The graphic covers internet shutdowns, including “partial shutdowns” in which mobile or fixed-broadband internet is disrupted, and omits some cases in which governments prevent service delivery in a region on a permanent basis. Days #FreedomOnTheNet freedomhouse.org 5