India saw a reduction in the number of internet shutdowns to 84 during 2024, but came second to Myanmar (85), a report by advocacy body Access Now said on Monday. In total, 296 shutdowns across 54 countries took place during the year.
“Despite a modest decrease in shutdowns from 2023, India still imposed 84 (shutdowns) in 2024, (with) the most disruptions ordered in a democracy that year. People in 16 States and territories experienced a shutdown, with State government officials in Manipur (21), Haryana (12), and Jammu & Kashmir (12) topping the list of offenders in India. Of the 84, 41 shutdowns were related to protests, and 23 were related to communal violence,” the company highlighted.
The report highlighted that in 2024, the internet shutdowns surpassed 283 shutdowns recorded in 39 countries in 2023. This equates to a 35 per cent increase in the number of countries where shutdowns occurred compared to the previous high in 2022 (40), with seven countries joining the first-time offenders list.
As the year came to a close, 47 active shutdowns continued into 2025, 35 of which had already been ongoing for more than a year, it said.
Social media platforms blocked
“In 2024, we saw more internet shutdowns, in more countries, implemented by more offenders, and across more borders. As our new report, ‘Emboldened offenders, endangered communities: Internet shutdowns in 2024’, documents, it was a record-breaking year across the board, providing further proof that the scourge of internet shutdowns is an unyielding threat to human rights — and human life — around the world,” the company said.
India matched its 2018 record, imposing five exam-related shutdowns during government job placement exams, it said.
One was during the General Graduate Level Combined Competitive Examinations in Jharkhand, which was conducted over a five-and-a-half hour period from September 22, morning till afternoon.
That same month, Assam also imposed similar shutdowns in most districts for government job exams. Rajasthan issued a shutdown for the Rajasthan Public Service Commission exam in January. Exam-related internet shutdowns are a disproportionate response to the possibility of cheating in exams, the report said.
Access Now also mentioned that ‘X’ was the most blocked platform around the world in 2024, with 24 blocks in 14 countries, the highest number for the platform since 2019, when it was blocked 33 times. TikTok was blocked 10 times in 10 countries in 2024 compared to six times in six countries in 2023, with three countries – India, Jordan, and Kyrgyzstan – maintaining active blocks from 2024 into 2025.
