Internet shutdowns: How they happen and mitigation measures
State agencies can slow down the internet, either on an entire network or to a specific website or platform, a concept known as network throttling that aims at making the connection extremely slow that it becomes unusable.
In today’s digital age, internet connectivity disruptions of whatever nature could prove costly to individuals and businesses.
Often, such disruptions are orchestrated by authorities as a means to suppress dissent and control the spread of politically ‘incorrect’ opinion among the masses.
African governments have, in particular, emerged as the most notorious for deploying internet shutdowns during elections or in moments of political uncertainty.
Ethiopia currently holds the record of the world’s longest active shutdown within the Tigray region.
Closer home, during the recent youth-led demonstrations, Kenyans experienced a major internet outage at around the same time when protestors invaded Parliament buildings in Nairobi in what was largely viewed as State interference with connectivity to prevent widespread protests.
While a government source who spoke to this publication denied any State involvement with leading network providers citing physical damage to their undersea cables, Seacom which deploys the cables never issued a confirmation to that effect.
So, how do government-sanctioned shutdowns happen?
Often, people think about shutdowns as an entire internet cut off, commonly referred to as a network blackout. While that could be an option for a public authority that seeks to restrict internet access, government can also cut mobile networks or fiber cable networks on targeted segments.
Another way is by blockage of Domain Name Server (DNS) which results in restriction of access to specific major social media sites or communication applications such X, Telegram or Meta platforms that include Facebook, Instagram as well as WhatsApp.
State agencies can also slow down the internet, either on an entire network or to a specific website or platform, a concept known as network throttling that aims at making the connection extremely slow that it becomes unusable.
Impact
While majority conversations assessing the impacts of internet shutdowns focus on violation of human rights including fundamental freedoms of expression, civil liberties and democratic rights, such disruptions have also been seen to have far-reaching ramifications on economic activities as they interrupt major businesses conducting work online.
The shutdowns also have significant impacts on health, education, digital financial services and other development outcomes including tourism activities and foreign direct investments.
“Disruptions interfere with the ability of local businesses to competitively export goods and services to global markets. Shutdowns may also trigger sanctions from trading partners,” notes Global Network Initiative (GNI), a non-government organisation involved in protection of privacy rights and freedom of expression.
Mitigation
The use of Virtual Private Networks (VPN) is the most widely embraced measure to alleviate and dodge the hard-hitting impacts of a connectivity restriction, although its effectiveness is dampened in a complete blackout scenario.
A VPN is a technology that allows users to create secure and private connection over the internet, establishing a virtual tunnel between a user’s device and a remote server operated by a VPN provider.
When connected to a VPN, internet traffic is routed through the encrypted tunnel meaning that user data, such as websites visited, files downloaded or messages sent, is protected from being intercepted or viewed by third parties.
The provision enables users to circumvent when the government blocks a major social media platform or website.
Analysts at South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand recommend a raft of factors to consider when choosing a VPN, among them server locations and coverage, connection speed and performance, device compatibility logging policy, as well as security and privacy.
“Look for a VPN provider that has a strong commitment to security and privacy. Consider factors such as the encryption protocols they use, their logging policy (preferably a strict no-logs policy), and the jurisdiction in which the provider operates (preferably a country with strong privacy laws),” writes the institution in a study paper developed during its annual African Investigative Journalism Conference.
“Check the number and distribution of servers offered by the VPN provider. More server locations provide you with a wider choice of virtual locations to connect to, allowing for better access to geo-restricted content and improved connection speeds.”
