INTERNET SHUTDOWNS IN 2023 while they were traveling to repair telecommunications infrastructure in Khan Yunis.240 These ongoing internet shutdowns deepen the suffering of people in Gaza, and make the work of UN bodies and humanitarian organizations to assist over two million people — 85% of whom are internally displaced, starved, and traumatized — an “impossible mission.”241 While people in Gaza struggled to stay connected and get help, major social media platforms were simultaneously censoring Palestinian and proPalestinian voices on their platforms.242 Since October 7, advocates have faced increased censorship online.243 This censorship has been particularly heavy on Meta-owned platforms Facebook and Instagram, where activists have documented systematic silencing of Palestinian voices through arbitrary content removals, suspension of prominent Palestinian and Palestinerelated accounts, restrictions on pro-Palestinian users and content, and shadow-banning.244 Through the #StopSilencingPalestine campaign, Access Now and our partners have called on Meta to put an end to its long-standing practice of censoring Palestinian voices and to overhaul its content moderation policies.245 240 45 Sudan In Sudan, the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has taken a devastating toll, claiming at least 12,000 lives by the end of 2023, with the numbers of people killed, injured, and displaced continuing to climb daily.246 The tragic situation has led to what experts describe as “one of the world's worst” humanitarian crises.247 Within Sudan, more than nine million people have been forced to flee their homes, with the World Food Program (WFP) warning of an impending hunger crisis of unprecedented proportions.248 We recorded at least two shutdowns in 2023 during this conflict, but the impact on telecommunications services has been more far-reaching than has been possible to document and verify under current conditions. Major shutdowns continue in 2024, including a month-long shutdown starting in February249 which impacted the entire country after the RSF reportedly took over telecommunications facilities in Khartoum.250 Sudanese authorities have a long history of using internet shutdowns to curtail fundamental human rights, control the narrative during turmoil, and cover up atrocities. The warring parties in Sudan have weaponized internet shutdowns by instructing telecommunications companies to limit access or by damaging ISP data centers — a tactic to gain control Jawwal (@JawwalPal). X post. 5:12 pm. January 13, 2024. https://x.com/JawwalPal/status/1746218633221591108 241 ReliefWeb (2024). The war in Gaza must end - Statement by Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, 5 January 2024. https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/war-gazamust-end-statement-martin-griffiths-under-secretary-general-humanitarian-affairs-and-emergency-relief-coordinator-5january-2024-enhear 242 Al Jazeera (2023). Are social media giants censoring pro-Palestine voices amid Israel’s war? https://www.aljazeera.com/ features/2023/10/24/shadowbanning-are-social-media-giants-censoring-pro-palestine-voices 243 7amleh (2023). Briefing on The Palestinian Digital Rights Situation Since October 7th, 2023. https://7amleh.org/2023/11/01/ briefing-on-the-palestinian-digital-rights-situation-since-october-7th-2023; 7amleh (2024). Hashtag Palestine 2023: Palestinian Digital Rights During War. https://7amleh.org/2024/01/17/hashtag-palestine-2023-palestinian-digital-rights-during-war 244 Human Rights Watch (2023). Meta's Broken Promises. https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/12/21/metas-broken-promises/systemiccensorship-palestine-content-instagram-and; Access Now (2024). It’s not a glitch: how Meta systematically censors Palestinian voices. https://www.accessnow.org/publication/how-meta-censors-palestinian-voices/ 245 Access Now (2023). #StopSilencingPalestine: Meta must overhaul its biased content moderation. https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/meta-stop-silencing-palestine/; see also Access Now (2023). A coalition of international organizations demands that Meta refrain from censoring criticism of Zionism on its platforms. https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/meta-zionism-policy/ 246 Al Jazeera (2024). Nearly eight million people displaced by war in Sudan: UN. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/31/ nearly-eight-million-people-displaced-by-war-in-sudan-un; UN OCHA (2024). Sudan Situation Report. https://reports.unocha. org/en/country/sudan/ 247 AA (2023). Sudan suffering ‘one of world’s worst humanitarian crisis’: UN. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/sudansuffering-one-of-worlds-worst-humanitarian-crisis-un/3081788 248 ReliefWeb (2024). Sudan Humanitarian Update (4 February 2024). https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarianupdate-4-february-2024; UN World Food Programme (2024). Sudan's war risks creating the world's largest hunger crisis, warns WFP Chief. https://www.wfp.org/news/sudans-war-risks-creating-worlds-largest-hunger-crisis-warns-wfp-chief 249 Cloudflare Radar (@cloudflareradar). X post. 2:52 pm. March 3, 2024. https://x.com/CloudflareRadar/status/1764302833715749347 250 See supra note 22.