“In the past, Cloudflare has seen governments primarily implementing internet shutdowns around national exams, and around (disputed) elections and/or protests, so fewer of these events in the first quarter may have been a factor,” a spokesperson told Recorded Future News, referencing a tactic where governments shut down the internet during national exams to stop students from cheating. Cloudflare and other internet monitoring organizations like NetBlocks have tracked dozens of internet shutdowns or specific website bans globally for years, with multiple throughout 2024 related to contentious elections or military conflict. Governments around the world have appeared to ease off from using internet shutdowns to silence protesters and control access to information, according to new data from internet infrastructure company Cloudflare. “With the increased compliance, there is less objectionable content on the platforms, hence those governments are less likely to shut down the entire platform or the whole internet in a bid to silence those voices,” Toker explained. “Their closure has dented the market for paid activism, and their absence means authoritarian-leaning regimes now have less of a need to shut down the internet or social media platforms during elections or protests,” he noted. Toker said many of the non-governmental organizations sponsored by USAID primarily campaigned via social media platforms and that work was often perceived as international interference by governments in those countries. NetBlocks director Alp Toker confirmed that his organization has also seen a lull in government-backed internet shutdowns. The lack of government-led internet shutdowns does not mean there were none at all, both Cloudflare and NetBlocks noted. The earthquake in Myanmar made an already stifled internet access situation worse, damaging infrastructure and making it even more difficult for victims to contact each other during the recovery effort.
This Cyber News was published on therecord.media. Publication date: Wed, 23 Apr 2025 17:20:14 +0000