Life in an Internet Shutdown: Crossing Borders for Email and Contraband SIM Cards

Internet shutdowns have become one of the defining tools of government repression in the 21st century in a growing number of countries, mainly in Asia and Africa, that are seeking to quash dissent. The shutdowns do more than stunt the democratic process. They can batter whole economies and individual businesses, as well as drastically disrupt the daily life of ordinary citizens, turning the search for mobile service into a game of cat and mouse with the police and driving people across borders just to send emails for work. In 2018, there were at least 196 shutdowns in 25 countries, up from 75 in 24 countries in 2016. In the first half of 2019 alone, there were 114 shutdowns in 23 countries. In all, more than a quarter of the world’s nations have used the tactic at one point or another over the past four years.

Typically used during times of civil unrest or political instability, a shutdown allows officials to stifle the flow of information about government wrongdoing or to stop communication among activists, usually by ordering service providers to cut or slow their customers’ internet access.