Shattered Dreams and Lost Opportunities. A year in the fight to #KeepItOn

While the monitoring tries to be comprehensive, data relies on technical measurement as well as contextual information, such as news reports or personal accounts.

The constraints of this methodology mean that there may be cases of internet shutdowns that have gone unnoticed or unreported, and numbers are likely to change if and when new information becomes available.

The #KeepItOn campaign unites and organizes the global effort to end internet shutdowns. The coalition is growing rapidly, and so far 243 organizations from 105 countries around the world have joined the movement, ranging from research centers to rights and advocacy groups, detection networks, foundations, and media organizations. This report is a publication of Access Now for the #KeepItOn coalition and was written by Berhan Taye in collaboration with the Access Now team.

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the world and those with access to the internet depended on it to continue with their education, communicate with loved ones, and continue to earn a living, Access Now and the #KeepItOn Coalition documented at least 155 internet shutdown1 incidents around the world in 29 countries.2 When compared to 2018 and 2019, this is a lower number of shutdowns. However,  the smaller number of shutdowns is not an indication of the lessened impact of a shutdown or an overall increase in digital rights.