Government Internet Shutdowns Cost $19.7B in 2025 1/9/26, 2:49 PM A VPN encrypts your internet connection and masks your IP address. Unless an ISP can block every IP address used by a VPN service, or reliably detect and filter VPN traffic, a VPN will allow you to access websites and apps blocked via IP or DNS filtering. Governments often attempt to block VPN websites and app stores during social media shutdowns. You should prepare in advance by installing a reliable, trustworthy VPN that is proven to work in their country before an outage begins. Some shutdowns also involve protocol blocking to disrupt VPN connections. In these cases, VPNs that implement successful traffic obfuscation can still work. Tor Tor is a free, open-source network designed to enable anonymous communication online. Like a VPN, Tor encrypts traffic and conceals your IP address, allowing you to access blocked services. For people in extremely highly-censored countries, Tor’s strong anonymity can outweigh its slower speeds and reduced usability. For most other users, a VPN is the more practical choice. Signal Messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are frequently blocked during social media shutdowns, cutting off essential lines of communication. Installing Signal in advance ensures you can stay in touch during an outage. It also offers stronger security and privacy protections than most mainstream messaging platforms. https://www.top10vpn.com/research/cost-of-internet-shutdowns/ Page 25 of 33