Update (4/1/2016): A working group of RightsCon participants has now developed a crowdsourced definition of an internet shutdown, in consultation with groups from across the globe, including North America, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe:
Internet shutdown: An 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.
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Here at RightsCon, we just launched an interactive conversation, both in person and online, on internet shutdowns and their impact.
By the end of this week, we’ll publish an official crowdsourced definition of internet shutdowns on Wikipedia, and we’d love for you to be a part of the process.
To join in, just tweet us your response to one of the questions below:
- What would be the worst thing that could happen to you if the government shut off the internet tomorrow?
- What is it like to experience an internet shutdown?
Internet shutdowns harm everyone: emergency services, human rights defenders, businesses, journalists, demonstrators, and public services. They do not help victims, restore order, or protect rights, and they are occuring around the world with alarming frequency.
Access Now has been at the forefront of the fight against internet shutdowns, challenging service providers to fight back against government shutdown requests, bringing international attention to cases of shutdowns and situations where the risk of shutdowns are high, and working to solidify consensus that—at all times and in all places—internet shutdowns violate international law.
We’d love for you to be part of this effort and to help shape the conversation. Share your thoughts on the prompts above using #KeepItOn.