In a concerning trend documented by Top10VPN.com, the economic cost of internet shutdowns reached a staggering $9.01 billion in 2023, marking a distressing impact on economies worldwide.
The report revealed that 196 major self-imposed internet outages occurred across 25 countries, translating to a total of 79,238 hours of government-induced disruptions.
The severity of the issue became evident as internet blackouts accounted for 25,535 hours, with an additional 53,703 hours allocated to social media blocks. Alarmingly, a staggering 747 million people found themselves affected by deliberate internet outages throughout the year.
Twitter emerged as the most targeted social media platform, enduring 10,683 hours of deliberate disruption—18% more than Instagram and 26% more than TikTok. This underscored a concerning trend of governments exerting control over digital communication channels.
The report highlighted Russia as the single most affected nation, incurring a whopping $4.02 billion in economic losses due to internet shutdowns. Following closely were Ethiopia ($1.59 billion) and Iran ($920.3 million), portraying a global landscape marred by the economic consequences of restricted online access.
Iraq stood out as the nation with the highest number of internet shutdowns, tallying a staggering 66 incidents, most notably linked to school exams. Meanwhile, Manipur, India, experienced the longest shutdown in 2023, enduring over 5,000 hours of restricted internet access.
More than just an economic concern, the report shed light on the human rights impact associated with these shutdowns. Shockingly, 50% of government-induced internet outages were linked to additional human rights abuses in 2023, with restrictions on freedom of assembly being the most prevalent form of violation.
As the world grapples with the ramifications of this growing issue, the need for international collaboration to address the economic and human rights implications of internet shutdowns has become more pressing than ever.