Over 50 Internet Shutdowns Reported in 2016

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Over 50 Internet Shutdowns Reported in 2016

By CircleID Reporter
January 03, 2017, 5:43 pm PST Views: 8,624 Add Comment

“Governments around the world shut down the internet more than 50 times in 2016—suppressing elections, slowing economies and limiting free speech.” Lyndal Rowlands reporting in IPS: “Several leaders used internet shutdowns to affect democratic processes, including elections. ‘In Uganda in February 2016 there was a shutdown of social media networks by President Museveni and that again happened in Gambia (in December) surrounding the election.’ ... In other cases, three governments chose to shut down the internet because they thought that it would stop students from cheating on their exams [see report] ... However governments do not seem to have taken into account the potential repercussions of the shutdowns, beyond the limits of free speech.”

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