Why 2024 Was The Worst Year for Internet Shutdowns

2024 was the worst year for internet shutdowns, with governments imposing at least 296 outages in 54 countries.

A new report launched at the international human rights conference RightsCon by Access Now reveals that last year saw an alarming 35% increase in the number of countries experiencing internet shutdowns, surpassing the previous high of 40 countries in 2022. Worryingly, 47 shutdowns continued from 2024 into 2025, with 35 active shutdowns ongoing as 2024 came to a close.

The findings also reveal seven countries joined the first-time offenders list: Comoros, El Salvador, France, Guinea-Bissau, Malaysia, Mauritius, and Thailand imposed internet shutdowns for the first time.

“For the second year in a row, authorities and warring parties wielded an unprecedented number of internet shutdowns as a weapon of war and a tool for collective punishment — hurling communities into digital darkness, and concealing grave human rights abuses,” said Felicia Anthonio, #KeepItOn Campaign Manager at Access Now.

The majority of internet shutdowns were experienced by people in four countries: India, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Russia, where millions lived through at least 203 shutdowns — 69% of the global total. In Myanmar, at least six perpetrators, led predominantly by the regime, imposed 85 shutdowns across the country, reflecting the unprecedented scale at which shutdowns have been deployed since the outbreak of civil war in 2021. Following closely behind was India with 84 shutdowns. For the first time since 2018, India was not the leading offender but still imposed an unacceptably high number of shutdowns as the world’s largest democracy. Pakistan imposed 21 shutdowns, the highest ever for the country, and Russia imposed 19 shutdowns, including seven in occupied parts of Ukraine.

A surge in platform blocks

According to the report, the blocking of communications platforms also surged in 2024, with 71 blocks in 35 countries, an increase from 53 blocks in 25 countries in 2023 and exceeding the previous record high of 57 blocks in 28 countries in 2019.

In 2024, X (formerly Twitter) became the most blocked platform globally, facing 24 restrictions across 14 countries—its highest number since 2019’s 33 blocks. TikTok saw a significant rise, with 10 blocks in 10 countries, up from six in 2023, and three nations (India, Jordan, and Kyrgyzstan) continued their bans into 2025. Signal experienced the most dramatic surge, with 10 blocks in nine countries (Algeria, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Venezuela, and Yemen) compared to two blocks in 2023 (China, Iran). Notably, every blocking of Signal, with the exception of the two in Bangladesh and one each in Algeria and Yemen, was ongoing into 2025.

Conflict remained the lead trigger of shutdowns

According to the report, conflict continued to be the leading catalyst for internet shutdowns in 2024, as perpetrators intensified their efforts to disrupt connectivity during wars and violent conflicts. This involved a wider array of tools, including jamming devices, deliberately cutting cables, destroying critical infrastructure, and sabotaging internet service providers. Alarmingly, cross-border shutdowns witnessed a sharp increase, with 25 instances initiated by eight countries, impacting populations across 13 nations. Prominent examples include Russia's actions in Ukraine, Israel's in Gaza, and the joint shutdowns imposed by Thailand and China in Myanmar. Other leading triggers for shutdowns were protests (74 shutdowns), exams (16 shutdowns), and elections (12 shutdowns).

“As internet access becomes consistently weaponized, restricted, and precarious, we are seeing pervasive patterns of crushing censorship and an urgent need for greater accountability. No single stakeholder can end internet shutdowns alone. The time to act is now,” said Anthonio.

Evolving tactics

The report underscores the growing complexity of monitoring and responding to internet shutdowns, creating significant new hurdles for attribution, accountability, and prevention efforts. In 2024, authorities escalated their tactics, using new tools to punish or terrorize civilians collectively. Access Now documented two cases in 2024 where offenders targeted LEO satellite internet services in Myanmar — noting that this was the first time this type of attack had been documented.

During the press briefing at RightsCon, panelists discussed how authoritarian regimes were becoming more sophisticated in their censorship tactics, targeting VPNs and importing specialized technologies from China to implement censorship at all layers of the internet.

“Internet shutdowns are becoming technological events,” said Htaike Htaike Aung, executive director of the Myanmar Internet Project, at the report launch. From targeted shutdowns to banning VPNs and whitelisting websites, she noted how authorities employed a combination of tools to restrict information access.

“The data doesn’t lie; 2024 was a record-breaking year for internet shutdowns,” said Zach Rosson, #KeepItOn Data and Research Lead at Access Now. “As perpetrators become more sophisticated in their tactics to silence dissent, so must our response as civil society and human rights defenders. Now more than ever, we need a collective and concerted effort to fight the unyielding use of internet shutdowns around the world — fundamental rights depend on it.”