Document details

Disconnected: A Human Rights-Based Approach to Network Disruptions

Global Network Initiative (2019), 33 pp.

Contains bibliogr. pp. 27-31

"The statistical study determines that network interferences are more likely to happen at higher rates of expansion of Internet connectivity until a tipping point, suggesting that efforts to extend Internet access in low- and middle-income countries may lead to less overt restrictions. This threshold stands at an annual rate of expansion of about 7 percent. The interviews reveal that individual actors within the digital rights community are seeking more coordinated efforts to resist shutdowns. The interviews are also used to support points made throughout the report. A calculation of the cumulative duration of network disruptions reveals that the Internet and/or social media were disrupted around the world for about 2,500 cumulative days in 2017 alone. Approximately 105 known shutdowns took place that year, surpassing each previous year. The report outlines a broad range of civil and political, as well as economic, cultural, and social rights that are typically impacted by network disruptions, moving beyond the typical focus on freedom of expression, elections, and economic impacts to broaden the arguments and actors discouraging disruptions." (Executive summary)