For the fourth year in a row, India has become the country with the highest number of Internet censorship for reasons ranging from curbing protests to cybercrime, a report released by tech policy think tank Access Now found in 106, 85 cases Jammu and Kashmir only.
“In 2021, authorities intentionally shut down the Internet at least 182 times in 34 countries. India is the world’s largest criminal organization, and it has shut down the Internet at least 106 times, ”the report said.
The report, however, noted that the number is lower than it was in 2020 – 109. Apart from India, other top list includes Myanmar (at least 15 times), Sudan and Iran (both at least five times each.).
The internet ban has spread to Jammu and Kashmir, where authorities continue to impose long-term intentional disruptions due to terrorist threats across the border.
There has been a steady trend in the amount of Internet censorship in the country, usually law and order, or security considerations, as requested by the provincial home secretary, or the union’s home secretary. By 2020, India saw the highest number of internet bans on 109 out of 155 worldwide.
The report also states that governments in the Asia-Pacific region have implemented at least 129 Internet censuses in seven countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Pakistan.
“Parliament’s Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology has released a report highlighting the misuse of cyberbullying, as well as the impact on rights and freedoms. However, it does not explicitly condemn its use, and it fails to state one of the most important facts about Internet censorship: it cannot be excused, ”the report added.
Considering the countries that blocked the Internet during the protests, the report revealed that India is among such countries. “India is also among the at least 18 governments that have forced the closure of the Internet during protests, which includes a concerted effort to suppress protests by large-scale farmers. India has also shut down the Internet at least four times so that students can stop cheating on exams, ”the report said.
According to a report released by Top10VPN, a global privacy and research group, Internet bans cost India $ 2.8 billion, putting South Asia at the top of the list of 21 countries that will block citizens’ web access by 2020.“India, the second most affected country by the Covid-19 epidemic, is estimated to account for a third of the $ 4 billion lost worldwide as a result of internet cuts. Its losses have doubled compared to 2019, according to a report from a UK-based digital privacy research team, ”Bloomberg reported last year.
