Trackers of organisations such as Software Freedom Law Centre, Meta, and AccessNow based on news reporting are the only way of knowing instances of Internet disruptions in India as the government does not maintain such a database, Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) has said. IFF is a non-governmental organisation focusing on digital rights and liberties.
In a submission to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on this month, IFF said states and Union Territories have refused to share Internet shutdown orders in responses to queries under the Right of Information Act despite a Supreme Court direction in this regard.
IFF made the submission in connection with OHCHR’s study on the instances of internet shutdowns, their legal implications and impact on human rights. The study was commissioned after the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on the promotion, protection, and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet in July 2021.
IFF cited data from Top10VPN, a UK-based research organisation. It added the Internet was shut down in India for 1,157 hours in 2021 and cost the economy $582.8 million. In 2020, the Internet was suspended for 8,927 hours, more than anywhere else in the world, costing the economy $2.8 billion. In 2019, the Internet was shut for 4,196 hours, which cost the economy $1.3 billion.
IFF said Internet shutdowns are used to prevent individuals from collectivising against government decisions. It added this was evident when the Internet was disrupted during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in 2019 and the now-scrapped farm laws
IFF referred to a Connectivity Tracker report and added despite the low cost of data in India, under 40% of women regularly used the Internet in 10 out of 28 states and two out of eight Union Territories. It added one out of three people access the Internet in rural areas. In urban areas, people, on average, have more than one Internet connection.