India's Internet Shutdowns in 2025
India recorded 65 internet shutdowns in 2025, marking the lowest number since 2017, yet still considered alarmingly high for a democracy according to Access Now.
Global Context
- The report, ‘Rising Repression Meets Global Resistance: Internet Shutdowns in 2025’, details 313 shutdowns globally across 52 countries, the highest ever since 2016.
- Myanmar led globally with 95 incidents, surpassing India for the second year in a row.
- Since 2016, India has experienced 920 of the 2,102 global shutdowns, making it the country with the highest historical tally.
Historical Data on Shutdowns in India
- 2016: 30 shutdowns
- 2017: 69 shutdowns
- 2018: 134 shutdowns (peak)
- 2019: 121 shutdowns
- 2020 & 2021: 108 shutdowns each
- 2022: 85 shutdowns
- 2023: 116 shutdowns
- 2024: 84 shutdowns
- 2025: 65 shutdowns
Reasons for Shutdowns in 2025
- Affected 12 states and territories.
- Primarily deployed during protests, conflict, communal violence, and religious events.
Legal and Procedural Aspects
- India requires shutdown orders to be published by law, setting it apart globally.
- Access Now criticized India for choosing control over democracy.
Targeting Circumvention Tools
- Authorities targeting VPNs, with Jammu and Kashmir banning unauthorized VPN use under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
- 800 users penalized, with police conducting phone searches.
Regional and Global Perspectives
- Asia Pacific region saw 195 shutdowns in 11 countries.
- Pakistan recorded 20 shutdowns, illustrating the normalization of shutdowns during unrest.
Conclusions and Recommendations
The report, backed by a coalition of over 366 organizations from 106 countries, concluded that internet shutdowns are an assertion of control that hides human rights violations. The coalition called for governments to recognize that such disruptions should never be normalized.
