NAIROBI, Kenya— If you thought the internet was your last refuge from political interference, think again.
A new report by Surfshark, a leading cybersecurity firm, reveals that 116 internet disruptions were recorded globally in 2024, with Kenya among the affected nations.
Even more concerning? Every single case was deliberate and politically motivated.
The year kicked off with 53 ongoing restrictions, and as political unrest, protests, and elections unfolded, 63 new shutdowns emerged, pushing the total cases to a staggering 116, according to Surfshark’s Internet Shutdowns Yearly Recap.
Asia took the lead as the most affected region, with seven governments imposing 43 new restrictions—impacting a mind-blowing 2 billion people.
“We are witnessing a deeply concerning global trend: the number of people impacted by internet shutdowns continues to rise,” said Luís Costa, Surfshark’s Research Lead.
In total, 4.78 billion people were affected by these restrictions in 2024 alone.
Despite growing recognition of internet access as a fundamental right, the trend of government-mandated blackouts has increased every year since Surfshark launched its Internet Shutdown Tracker in 2015.
Five countries—Kenya, Comoros, Mauritius, Mozambique, and El Salvador—joined the internet shutdown list for the first time this year.
Mozambique saw eight separate shutdowns, ranking second worldwide for new restrictions. These disruptions followed election-related turmoil and protests.
El Salvador also made its debut on the list after Telegram was restricted during Independence Day celebrations and the presidential inauguration.
Africa recorded 17 new cases across eight countries, affecting 394 million people.
Meanwhile, India topped the charts in Asia, imposing 23 new shutdowns—more than double its 2023 count of 11.
Other affected nations included Pakistan (8 cases), Bangladesh (4), Turkey (4), Iran (1), and Syria (1).
Interestingly, Iran—known for frequent internet blackouts—saw a dramatic drop, from 29 restrictions in 2023 to just one in 2024.
Governments didn’t just cut off entire internet access—they also targeted social media platforms.
In 2024, 18 new social media restrictions were recorded across seven countries, with Facebook emerging as the most blocked platform.
Surfshark reports that 46pc of the global population has faced Facebook restrictions since 2015.
Meanwhile, Telegram, which was the most blocked app in 2023, saw fewer takedowns in 2024—dropping from eight cases across seven countries to just three cases in three nations.
With governments increasingly weaponizing internet access, the trend of politically motivated shutdowns shows no signs of slowing.
