4 EMBOLDENED OFFENDERS, ENDANGERED COMMUNITIES I. Internet shutdowns in 2024: a global overview Internet shutdowns are never justified. Since 2016, the #KeepItOn coalition has documented shutdowns’ clear harms, and helped to solidify international consensus that shutdowns are incompatible with human rights.1 Despite these gains, perpetrators of internet shutdowns around the world continue to leverage this tactic to silence and isolate with impunity. The past year was no exception, with a steadily expanding group of offenders maintaining long-term shutdowns year over year, a cohort of notorious repeat offenders cutting access when people are most vulnerable, and a wave of new offenders setting dangerous new records. Total number of shutdowns by year 6 Number of countries where shutdowns occurred by year4 1 See Access Now. #KeepItOn Campaign. https://www.accessnow.org/campaign/keepiton/; UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (2024). Global Digital Compact. https://www.un.org/global-digital-compact/sites/default/files/2024-09/Global%20 Digital%20Compact%20-%20English_0.pdf