35 | • RISING REPRESSION MEETS GLOBAL RESISTANCE: INTERNET SHUTDOWNS IN 2025 » Warring parties must refrain from targeting ICT infrastructure and fully comply with the laws of armed conflict and humanitarian norms and principles, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution. » Warring parties and the international community shall also engage in good faith to protect civilian telecommunications, immediately restore connectivity in the event of a shutdown, and ensure that measures for these purposes are also integrated in any ceasefire or peace negotiation. The Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) should renew and deepen its commitment to preventing internet shutdowns and pursuing accountability when they occur. It’s deeply alarming to see state members of the FOC — an alliance meant to advocate for internet freedom globally — undermine their own principles by imposing harmful internet shutdowns. The FOC’s public statements denouncing internet shutdowns in times of conflict, elections, and protests are a clear signal that the international community must stand against such actions. 224 » The coalition should adopt stronger and more effective accountability mechanisms for FOC members to avoid the normalization of the use of internet shutdowns by its members. » In light of the FOC discontinuing its Task Force on Internet Shutdowns (TFIS) in 2024, the coalition must develop new mechanisms, in collaboration with civil society and the private sector, for continuing its public and private advocacy against shutdowns, and for enabling more member states to step into leadership roles amid uncertain political support for internet freedom at a global level. IMPROVING HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE Humanitarian organizations: • Humanitarian organizations must prioritize emergency connectivity to the wider population, instead of focusing on humanitarian response only. » As the practice of shutting down the internet during situations of conflict and violence continues unabated, the humanitarian sector under guidance by the Humanitarian Protection Cluster (HPC) should adopt more adequate protection standards for preventing, documenting, correcting, and redressing digital-related harms, starting from the official recognition of civilian data and digital systems as protected objects under International Humanitarian Law (IHL). » Considering the growing recognition of the life-saving and aid-enabling role of connectivity, protection and logistics-oriented entities, including the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC), the Information and Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the HPC, should agree on a set of standards and on a governing mechanism for rapid provision of civilian connectivity, and design sustainable community-led emergency connectivity response and innovative connectivity solutions ranging from mesh systems and satellite direct to cell connectivity. 224 Freedom Online Coalition (2025). Joint statement on protecting human rights online and preventing internet shutdowns in times of armed conflict. https://freedomonlinecoalition.com/joint-statement-on-protecting-human-rights-online-and-preventing-internet-shutdowns-intimes-of-armed-conflict/