![]() ![]() ![]() Regional communication channels that share news, often disseminated via social media platforms or internet-messaging platforms, are particularly disabled. Local independent media suffers during an internet blackout. In another case, Access Now reports that prolonged digital sieges have crippled businesses in Jammu and Kashmir, as India has imposed months of internet blackouts. One online clothing retailer lost 50,000 Pakistani ruppees that day, as the company was invested heavily in social media advertisements. As one of the fastest growing digital economies, when Pakistan experienced an internet shutdown in major cities on April 16, 2021, e-commerce sites of small- and medium-sized businesses took a significant blow. Disruptions to e-commerce, mobile banking, and international investment all negatively impact the private sector during a shutdown. According to the Global Network Initiative (GNI), “ countries can lose 1.9% of their daily GDP (Gross Domestic Product)” during a shutdown. Here is how key sectors are impacted: Private Sector Internet blackouts indiscriminately harm individual users, undermine opportunities for democratic participation, and impede inclusion in the digital economy. First, that “everyone has an equal right to access and use a secure and open internet,” and second, that “everyone should have universal and open access to the internet’s content free from discriminatory prioritization, filtering or traffic control on commercial, political or other grounds.” Internet disruptions also violate two main principles laid out in the Democratic Principles for an Open Internet. ![]() Blackouts are often imposed amid election cycles, political resistance movements, and moments of crisis, hindering the ability of democratic institutions and civil society to function and support citizens during crucial moments. ![]() The world saw significant use of internet blackouts in 2020, with civil society organization Access Now reporting at least 155 internet shutdowns in 29 countries, including India and Nigeria. Blackouts can be the total shutdown of internet-based communications in a country or region, service-based blocking of specific two-way communication platforms, or bandwidth throttling that slows communications. Government-led internet blackouts are intentional disruptions of the internet or electronic communications. One tactic deployed by governments has been the use of internet disruptions, also known as blackouts, to hinder economic, social, and political rights. At the same time, however, recognizing that the internet is now one of the most valued ways for people to connect, authoritarian states and many governments in struggling democracies are increasingly cracking down on an open and inclusive digital space. With the rapid integration of internet-based technologies into almost every aspect of public and private life, the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights is rapidly becoming more relevant in the digital space. As communities around the globe increasingly rely on the internet to share and debate ideas, receive access to information, or conduct business, an open and inclusive internet helps promote economic inclusion, free expression, and social accountability. In the digital age, an open and inclusive internet is central to fostering democratic and civic engagement. ![]()
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