India has most number of internet shutdowns in world, says report

16,315 hours of intentional internet down-time between 2012 and 2017 has cost the Indian economy $3.04 billion

When it comes to curbing dissent and freedom of expression, some governments take the drastic step of shutting down the internet. Across the world, internet shutdowns and deliberate slowdowns are becoming more common and they generally occur when someone (usually a government) intentionally disrupts the internet or mobile apps to control what people do or say. 

According to Access Now data reported by Vice News, India has the most number of shutdowns of any country by a huge distance - 154 between January 2016 and May 2018. By comparison, second-placed Pakistan only had 19 shutdowns during the same period. 

A report by