Internet shutdowns remind us who’s really in charge online
From Rihanna to Aung San Suu Kyi, news of internet shutdowns has been making the rounds lately. Access Now, a non-profit that focuses on digital rights around the world, documented 213 incidents of shutdowns in 2019 alone. As the report detailed, these shutdowns rarely come out of nowhere. Indeed, they are most often justified as a content moderation decision:
While the internet enables the fulfillment of many human rights, there is a growing concern about the role it plays in facilitating or spreading misinformation and incendiary content. The most common official justification for ordering shutdowns in 2019 was “fighting fake news, hate speech, or content promoting violence.”
At the same time, misinformation has indeed thrived in many parts of the world that currently face internet shutdowns. In 2018, for example, misinformation on WhatsApp made headlines in places like Myanmar and Sri Lanka for potentially fueling violence. Does that make online shutdowns a necessary and justifiable action to limit offline violence?
And yet, as Access Now reminds us, “When these concerns are legitimate, internet shutdowns rarely provide a solution and can worsen an already volatile environment. In some cases, they can lead to or hide atrocities, as seen in Sudan or Myanmar.” Indeed, as we learned in the case…
