26.07.2024 08:55:00
Дата публикации
Since early July 2024, large-scale protests against the government's quota system for public office have been taking place in Bangladesh. The protests were mainly attended by students.
The tension in the situation was exacerbated by the violent suppression of the protests, which led to casualties and arrests. Since July 18, the internet has been shut down across the country, social networks and messengers have been blocked.
On July 20, 2024, the government imposed a curfew and deployed the army in the capital Dhaka.
Phone calls from abroad were mostly not received, and the websites of Bangladesh-based media outlets were not updated, as were their social media accounts.
The shutdown lasted for at least 5 days, which is why neither news services nor ordinary citizens could find out about the number of victims and the scale of the chaos happening in the country.
In addition to disrupting the work of journalists and human rights activists, this has led to the spread of misinformation and only worsened the overall situation.
The example of Bangladesh, writes Forbes, demonstrates the desire of some states to use technology to conceal the scale of repression and the real state of affairs in the country during times of crisis.
The damage from the Internet shutdown has already amounted to $157 million, which is a very significant amount for the economy of a country like Bangladesh.
International organizations and human rights activists have called on the government to restore access to the Internet and ensure the protection of citizens' rights.
Among those who have made statements are the Aapti Institute, Access Now, Amnesty International, OONI (Open Observatory of Network Interference), Human Rights Watch and other international groups.
“Disrupting access to the internet and mobile apps — whether by throttling bandwidth or imposing a complete or partial shutdown — is costly and harmful to society and businesses, and violates the fundamental freedoms of expression and access to information under Article 39(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of Bangladesh,” the group said in a statement.
The internet shutdown is a disproportionate measure, ineffective in quashing violence, and is likely to have the opposite effect by limiting people’s freedom to counter disinformation.
People continue to receive information through other channels, and shutdowns prevent trusted sources from debunking false information that could reach more people.
(the text is translated automatically)
The tension in the situation was exacerbated by the violent suppression of the protests, which led to casualties and arrests. Since July 18, the internet has been shut down across the country, social networks and messengers have been blocked.
On July 20, 2024, the government imposed a curfew and deployed the army in the capital Dhaka.
Phone calls from abroad were mostly not received, and the websites of Bangladesh-based media outlets were not updated, as were their social media accounts.
The shutdown lasted for at least 5 days, which is why neither news services nor ordinary citizens could find out about the number of victims and the scale of the chaos happening in the country.
In addition to disrupting the work of journalists and human rights activists, this has led to the spread of misinformation and only worsened the overall situation.
The example of Bangladesh, writes Forbes, demonstrates the desire of some states to use technology to conceal the scale of repression and the real state of affairs in the country during times of crisis.
The damage from the Internet shutdown has already amounted to $157 million, which is a very significant amount for the economy of a country like Bangladesh.
International organizations and human rights activists have called on the government to restore access to the Internet and ensure the protection of citizens' rights.
Among those who have made statements are the Aapti Institute, Access Now, Amnesty International, OONI (Open Observatory of Network Interference), Human Rights Watch and other international groups.
“Disrupting access to the internet and mobile apps — whether by throttling bandwidth or imposing a complete or partial shutdown — is costly and harmful to society and businesses, and violates the fundamental freedoms of expression and access to information under Article 39(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of Bangladesh,” the group said in a statement.
The internet shutdown is a disproportionate measure, ineffective in quashing violence, and is likely to have the opposite effect by limiting people’s freedom to counter disinformation.
People continue to receive information through other channels, and shutdowns prevent trusted sources from debunking false information that could reach more people.
As a reminder, human rights organizations in Kazakhstan filed a lawsuit in court regarding the internet shutdown that occurred during Kantar to set limits on such shutdowns and to verify the proportionality of the restrictions under the Constitution.
(the text is translated automatically)
