Global cost of internet shutdowns $4 bn in 2020, India share at 70%: report

Top10VPN report says internet restrictions in Kashmir were lifted after 7 months but users were only able to access low-speed 2G connections

India has topped the list of restricting internet access to citizens more than any other country – over 75 times in 2020, which cost the economy $2.8 billion, says an annual report by Top10VPN, a UK-based digital privacy and security research group. According to the report titled The Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns, while the economic cost of internet shutdowns globally in 2020 was $4.01 billion, down by 50 per cent from 2019, for India it almost doubled from $1.3 million last year. In Kashmir, internet restrictions were lifted after 7 months but users were only able to access low-speed 2G connections, mentions the report. The majority of short blackouts in India affecting groups of villages or individual city districts were not included in the report, which focuses on larger region-wide shutdowns. The true economic cost is therefore likely to be even higher than $2.8 billion for India, according to the report. 

Key global findings:

• 93 major shutdowns took place in 21 countries in 2020
• 27,165 hours: total duration of major disruptions around the world, up 49% from the previous year
• Internet blackouts: 10,693 hours
• Internet throttling: 10,920 hours
• Social media shutdowns: 5,552 hours
• 268 million people affected by major disruptions in 2020, up 3% year-on-year 
• 29% of all disruptions associated with restrictions on freedom of assembly 
• 15% with election interference
• 12% with infringements on freedom of the press