On Friday the states of Assam and Meghalaya in India experienced yet another massive shutdown of the internet (yes, the internet) as their government tried to control protesters over the controversial new citizen rule.
Assam and Meghalaya are regions housing over 32 million people, and this latest shutdown of their internet has raised more concerns regarding the trend used by most governments : where they prevent individuals from accessing the web for information and communication.
All this is coming days after the approval of the “Citizenship Amendment Bill” which was passed by the country’s parliament.
The new law eases the process for non-Muslims minorities from three neighboring countries (Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh) to acquire Indian citizenship.
It was shortly after the bill approval that protest began at the states of Assam and Meghalaya where most social media services have been suspended for now. (wow)
According to some officials in the state of Assam “Social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and YouTube are likely to be used for spreading of rumors and also for transmission of information like pictures, videos and text that have the potential to inflame passions and thus exacerbate the law and order situation.”
It is still yet unknown when internet access would be reestablished at the two regions. According to Access Now, a digital rights group, in 2018 alone India has recorded about 130 shutdowns.(yes that right, about 130)
