What are Internet Shutdowns?

Access Now, an international organisation working to end internet shutdowns, defines it as, “intentional disruption of internet or electronic communications, rendering them inaccessible or effectively unusable, for a specific population or within a location, often to exert control over the flow of information”.They are always imposed by the state, however, they can be both National and local level disruptions. The reasons for imposition may range from the prevention of a possible conflict to reduce the intensity of the ongoing conflict. According to the SFLC report, there are three primary legislation’s being used to impose these shutdowns. They include:

• Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973
• Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885
• Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services( Public Emergency and Public Safety) Rules, 2017

Why should you care?

The early instances of internet shutdown in the world were witnessed in Egypt in 2011, during the Arab Spring. The autocratic government tried to suppress the voices of the citizens and cripple the anti-government movement by imposing an internet shutdown. Since then, the number of internet shutdowns have risen every year and have spread to several countries, including democracies, around the world. In 2019 alone, India witnessed 106 internet shutdowns, earning it the title of the internet shutdown capital of the world. Included among these was the world’s second-longest shutdown, a 213-day shutdown in Jammu and Kashmir. 

According to the United Nations, despite the justifications provided, disruption of internet services is a violation of Article 19, Paragraph 3, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In addition to the question of the legality of the shutdowns, these digital disruptions can be counterproductive to the United Nation’s efforts to use technology to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. At the surface, the shutdowns just appear to impact our leisure activities of using social media, and their curtailment for the maintenance of law and order appears to be justified. However, when analysed deeply, these disruptions have the potential to impact fundamental rights like Freedom of speech and expression, to affect the smooth working of the society and to make citizens vulnerable to human rights exploitation.

Impacts of Internet Shutdown on the Economy

Increasing internet penetration has the potential to boost the economy. According to the World Development Report, the major benefit of the internet for the business community includes increased efficiency at a lowered cost. Lower transaction costs raise the productivity of existing factors of production. It has led to improved supply chain management and resource planning. It has made it easier for businesses to communicate better and more confidently. E-commerce platforms have allowed small businesses access to a wider market and better advertising. It has also benefitted the customers, who can now shop from around the world, thus leading to inclusion. The current health scenario has propelled a shift towards e-commerce instead of the brick and mortar business models. Internet is, thus,  an indispensable tool for a country’s economy during the current times. 

Internet shutdowns put all this at risk. The benefits of the shutdown have not been proved yet, but its crippling effects on the economy have been made visible more than once now. Brookings Institute, in its report, claimed that India suffered a loss of US $968 million in 2016. Adding to this, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, projected a loss of US $3.04 billion during the period of 2012-17. Another report by Deloitte found that a medium-level connectivity country could lose 1% of its daily GDP in case of an internet shutdown. 

With huge investments in digital India and e-payments, the government increased the dependence of the economy on the internet by manifolds. Internet shutdowns, thus, have the potential to harm these businesses and other stakeholders involved. They are unable to manage their supply chains and payments, resulting in chaos. Businesses that run only through their online platforms, suffer huge losses, forcing them to even shut down their enterprises. It can be a big blow to the Make in India initiative, wherein startups are being encouraged. Not all startup enterprises can invest in a physical presence and usually start functioning online. But with regular internet shutdowns, there is a loss of trust in the digital infrastructure of the country and new enterprises feel discouraged. Small E-Commerce businesses and online freelancers then face the maximum damage.

Internet shutdowns also take away the momentum of trading businesses and are a major issue for the stock market. According to The Centre for Internet and Society, the shutdowns break contact with the lifeline of the stock market: stock market information. The price volatility and need for quick reactions make it very difficult for the market to work without an internet connection. It also leads to disputes between traders and brokers about the price of the transaction. In the long term, such volatility can lead to reduced foreign investments as well. Tourism-related businesses also depend on the internet for their survival and these shutdowns can cripple their functioning. People are unable to communicate with the travel agents and book travel tickets/ hotels etc. Thus, the digital disruption imposed to stop the activities of miscreants can end up being a blanket punishment for all citizens.

Impact of Internet Shutdown on Gender

Over the years, patriarchy made sure that women were confined only to the private space- working inside the house, taking care of household chores. Men took complete control over the public space i.e. the political and economic sphere of the society. With domestic power not being related to productive labour (Cornwell and Chou 1986) and no political voice, women faced the issue of reduced self-esteem and self-confidence, giving patriarch a stronghold over them. According to a United Nations report internet, however, has the potential to be a powerful catalyst for political and social empowerment of women. It can increase their access to health, nutrition, education, employment etc. Internet shutdowns, however, may result in decades of effort being lost and women being left increasingly vulnerable. It, therefore, becomes imperative to analyse internet shutdowns through the spectrum of gender.

With the burden of domestic work and child care being shared disproportionately by women, the internet provides them with meaningful ways to access education and employment opportunities from home. Women have been working as home-based freelancers to balance their work and family life. They have access to online courses to improve their employability. Internet shutdowns can result in loss of these opportunities and a return to economic dependence on the male earner of the family. Internet shutdowns can, thus, be a source of gender-based economic disadvantage.

Internet shutdown aims to socially isolate people, as the internet today is an important means of communicating and connecting with each other. According to Access Now, women face restricted socialisation with respect to their participation in public life. Internet, with social media in particular, then becomes their sole means to access the world outside their social boundaries. Internet shutdowns can bring this to a crashing halt, further their isolation and lead to psychological distress. With movements like #MeToo, the internet has also become a platform for raising voice against the atrocities being faced by women.  Past pieces of evidence indicate that women are at their most vulnerable during periods of conflicts and would require internet the maximum at that time.

Women also depend on the Internet to protect their physical safety. In cases of domestic violence, the internet provides them with an alternative platform to reach out to online support services. But, Internet shutdowns, sometimes lasting for 200 days, can cut down the operations of activists and support organisations. Since these shutdowns are mostly imposed during periods of conflict, they are accompanied by restrictions on movements too. Digital disruptions during such times can result in an increase in physical and sexual abuse of women by intimate partners. Now since the networks are jammed, the victims of such crimes cannot even ask for help via call or other digital mediums which makes their situation even more horrifying which might subject them to even more pain and trauma.

Is there an Alternative to Internet Shutdown?

After assessing the socioeconomic disadvantages of internet shutdowns, the next obvious question is, ‘ do the governments have an alternative that is less restrictive but still more beneficial ?’. The answer is yes! Research indicates that the government, in fact, can overtake its opponent in reaping the benefits of the internet in the conflict sphere. There is a need to train the leaders in the usage of the internet and in its favourable application in conflict situations. The French government, for instance, did not take to internet shutdown despite rising terrorist attacks. They instead developed an app with an alert button which allowed people to send alerts to the police. This way they could help people in the fastest way possible. According to Facebook’s Public Policy Manager, the internet was used effectively by the Bangalore police during the Kaveri River water dispute. They used it as a channel to reach out to people, reassure them during times of emergency and ensure law and order. The state can also mainstream cyber threats and make them part of the national security policies. More investment is required to improve the capacity of security officials to investigate and prevent cybercrimes. The state can also make sure that there is a better internet policy brief that states clear consequences for fake news and hate speech. The digital communication giants like Facebook, WhatsApp, or Twitter, need to take responsibility for the content being shared and take proactive actions against rumours and hate speech.

Conclusion

Internet shutdowns have made their entry into the conflict control/prevention toolkits of governments around the world. This reality needs to be viewed in light of the fact that the internet has become indispensable for the functioning of a healthy society. The need for assessment of the impacts of this virtual disruption on the real world has become imperative. There is a need to analyse whether the goals for which the shutdown is imposed are actually met and if better alternatives exist to meet the agendas. A tool meant to control the miscreants should not end up becoming a blanket punishment for all citizens alike.

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