The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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In 2024, cybersecurity company Surfshark documented 116 instances of internet disruptions worldwide, with Kenya being one of the affected nations.
According to Surfshark’s latest report, all of these disruptions were intentional and politically driven. The year began with 53 ongoing internet restrictions, and by the end of 2024, 63 new cases had been reported, as detailed in its Internet Shutdowns Yearly Recap.
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Asia was the hardest-hit region, where governments in seven countries imposed 43 new restrictions, impacting over two billion people.
“We are seeing a deeply troubling global pattern: the number of people affected by internet shutdowns is increasing,” said Luís Costa, Surfshark’s Research Lead.
Costa pointed out that in 2024, nearly 4.78 billion people were affected by disruptions tied to significant events like elections, protests, and political unrest.
Despite growing recognition of internet access as a fundamental human right, the number of internet restrictions has been rising annually since Surfshark started tracking these incidents in 2015.
Five countries—Kenya, Comoros, Mauritius, Mozambique, and El Salvador—implemented internet restrictions for the first time in 2024, marking a disturbing rise in government-imposed digital blockages.
Mozambique had the second-highest number of new restrictions, with eight cases related to political unrest and protests over contested election results.
El Salvador also experienced its first internet disruptions, with Telegram being restricted during Independence Day celebrations and the presidential inauguration.
Africa saw 17 new cases across eight countries, affecting 394 million people.
India remained the most restrictive country in Asia, imposing 23 new shutdowns, a sharp increase from 11 in 2023. Other countries affected included Pakistan (8 cases), Bangladesh (4), Turkey (4), Jammu and Kashmir (2), Iran (1), and Syria (1).
In contrast to 2023, when Iran imposed 29 internet restrictions in response to anti-government protests, the country recorded only one case in 2024.
Social media accounted for a third of all internet restrictions in 2024, with 18 new cases across seven countries.
Facebook continued to be the most targeted platform, with Surfshark reporting that 46% of the global population has been impacted by Facebook restrictions since 2015.
While Telegram was the most blocked platform in 2023, with eight cases across seven countries, this dropped to just three restrictions in three countries in 2024.
Surfshark’s Internet Shutdown Tracker monitors both partial and full internet and social media shutdowns across 196 countries and territories. The company focuses on privacy and security solutions to protect digital freedoms.
