And in India, fake news spreads on WhatsApp. India's restrictions on internet access are increasingly being blamed on rumours, fake news and misinformation. Analysts say the shutdowns have cost India billions of dollars and damaged the country’s online reputation.
The rise from three shutdowns in 2012 to more than 100 this year marks a 3,766 per cent surge. In 2017, it counted reports of 79 shutdowns in 2016, that figure was just 31 and in 2012 it was just three. The Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC), based in New Delhi, has tracked down 116 internet shutdowns across India in 2018 alone. But the real target of the shutdown wasn’t the internet as a whole, it was WhatsApp.Īs a result, India has found itself in the unenviable position of being a world-leader when it comes to internet shutdowns. Then, on August 27, local authorities ordered a shutdown of mobile internet connections in the area from 06:00 until 14:00 to stop the spread of online rumours about the alleged attack and subsequent unrest. A peacekeeping meeting between the two religious communities was also held. Days later, police brought charges of rioting, damage to public property and arson against 70 people. The incident was captured by media reports and eyewitness recordings. Police officers in helmets and body armour fired tear gas into the crowd to try and regain control. Stones were thrown by the two groups, damaging cars and injuring 12 people. The action prompted anger from the local Sikh and Hindu communities who faced off.
On August 25, hundreds of people took to the streets of the small Indian district of Banda, part of the Northern region of Shahjahanpur, in protest at reports a guard had hit her when she tried to set up her market stall outside the local Gurdwara. The riot was triggered by rumours a 14-year-old girl had been attacked. The disputed region has reportedly had more than 100 internet shutdowns in the last six years Getty Images / Daniel Berehulak / Staff Protests throw tear gas at police in Kashmir.
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