The world’s largest democracy is far and away the most brutal censor of the Internet. The government of India has taken the extraordinary s...
The world’s largest democracy is far and away the most brutal censor of the Internet. The government of India has taken the extraordinary step of shutting down internet service across districts or entire states more than 83 times in 2020, despite the shuttering of society due to the epidemic.
Already in 2021, the internet was shut off in several districts in Haryana in light of the farmers’ protests against three new agricuture laws.
These shutdowns have been imposed for reasons connected with the suppression of public demonstrations and the keeping of public order, but also for less exigent purposes. In October, for example, the entire population of 15 districts of Arunachal Pradesh were deprived of all mobile internet services due to the administration of competitive public service employment examinations.
The same month, a shutdown of all social media and mobile data service was imposed in Rajasthan, after leaders of the Gujjar community threatened mass demonstrations in a dispute with the state government over employment reservations for their “backward class.” (All primary data on Indian internet shutdowns is compiled by SFLC.in, which runs world’s first real-time tracker tracking internet shutdowns.)
A disturbing truth
We expect despotic regimes, from China to Belarus, to use their power over telecommunications to spy on and control their populations. But when democratic...
