Measuring internet freedom in India in the last 10 years Premium

More than 780 internet shutdowns, almost 60,000 URLs blocked, a dip in global indices --The Hindu examines internet freedom in India over the last 10 years.

In the Freedom Journal series, we look at how freedoms in the political, economic, digital and media landscape have evolved in the last decade. 

For five straight years, India has topped the global list of countries on imposing internet bans, with about 60% of all blackouts recorded in the world between 2016 and 2022 having been in India. More than $5.45 billion in economic value was lost due to the bans between 2019 and 2023 alone, according to data fromtech company Top 10 VPN.

Freedom in cyberspace hinges on a freely accessible, functional, and affordable internet. The extent of the freedom can be measured based on availability of mobile and broadband services, internet speed, and access to websites and social media platforms. State-imposed shutdowns in the last decade have cited national security and threats to public order when shuttering the internet space. However, rights groups have argued that these shutdowns not only impinge on free speech and human rights, but also violate court directives.

In this article, The Hindu looks at how internet freedom has fared in the last 10 years while the NDA led by the BJP was in power at the Centre.

The government can impose an internet blackout directly (absolute disruption of all internet-based communities) or indirectly, where internet speed is throttled, for a specific population or location. The Indian Government imposed a total of 780 shutdowns between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2023, according to data collected by the Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC). Instances shot from six in 2014 to 96 in 2023, an increase of 1500%. The highest number of internet shutdowns were implemented in 2018 and 2020. Shutdowns flared up during the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019, the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, and the introduction of Farm Bills in 2021. Internet disruptions in India accounted for more than 70% of the total loss to the global economy in 2020. Data shows India shut down the internet for over 7,000 hours in 2023, affecting almost 5.9 crore people. The disruptions also violated press freedom and people’s right to hold peaceful protests, researchers added.

Indian States and Union Territories can impose an internet shutdown only in case of a “public emergency” or in the interest of “public safety,” according to the Indian Telegraph Act. However, the law does not define what qualifies as an emergency or safety issue. The Supreme Court of India, in the landmark Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India case, reiterated that internet shutdowns violate fundamental rights to freedom of expression, and that shutdowns which last indefinitely are unconstitutional. Moreover, courts have asked governments to make shutdown orders public — a provision poorly complied with, experts have noted in The Hindu.

Regionally, Jammu and Kashmir saw the highest number of shutdowns — at 433 — in the last 12 years; followed by Rajasthan, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. The longest blackout in 2023 took place in Manipur from May to December, amid ethnic clashes between the Meitei people, the majority residing in Imphal Valley, and the Kuki-Zo tribal community from the surrounding hills. Preceding this, the longest internet shutdown ever— 552 days— was recorded in Kashmir in 2019-20.