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#KeepItOn is Access Now’s global campaign against internet shutdowns. It brings civil-society groups together to monitor disruptions, document their effects, support affected communities and press for accountability. A shutdown can mean more than a complete blackout: throttling and blocking apps or other communications can also make access effectively unusable.

What counts as an internet shutdown?

Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition define an internet shutdown as an intentional disruption of internet or electronic communications that makes them inaccessible or effectively unusable for a particular population or place, often to control information. The definition covers several mechanisms:

  • Full outages: internet or electronic communications are cut off for an affected area or population.
  • Throttling: service is slowed enough to interfere with ordinary use.
  • Platform blocking: particular services, such as messaging apps, are blocked even if other internet access remains available.

These mechanisms should not be conflated. A report of an app block, for example, does not by itself establish that an entire country lost internet access.

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What the latest figures show

In its report published on 31 March 2026, Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition documented at least 313 shutdowns in 52 countries during calendar year 2025. The report’s figures reflect information available at publication and may be updated as new information emerges.

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Calendar year Documented shutdowns Countries Source and context
2023 289 Not stated in the cited comparison Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition’s 2026 report page; comparison figure updated in the 2025 report.
2024 304 Not stated in the cited comparison Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition’s 2026 report page; comparison figure updated in the 2025 report.
2025 At least 313 52 Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition’s report published 31 March 2026; figures may be revised.

The report identifies conflict as the leading trigger for the third year in a row: it documented 125 conflict-related shutdowns across 14 countries in 2025. It also recorded 14 shutdowns targeting low-Earth-orbit satellite internet systems across seven countries that year, compared with four such cases in 2024. These cases show that satellite services have also been targeted; they do not establish that satellite connectivity is a reliable workaround in every shutdown.

Separately, the report page records 70 shutdowns coinciding with grave human-rights abuses in 21 countries in 2025. That is a documented overlap, not a causal estimate of the harm attributable to shutdowns.

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How shutdowns affect people

Access Now identifies consequences for work, education, medical care, banking, journalism, free expression, organizing, documentation of abuses, and access to life-saving information and humanitarian aid. The practical effects depend on who is affected, which communications are disrupted, how long the disruption lasts and what services remain available. An incident count does not measure how many people were harmed or quantify economic losses.

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The 2025 report includes Tanzanian activist Maria Sarungi’s account of an October 29, 2025 blackout and citizens recording events: “Despite the shutdown preventing immediate wide sharing, we were able to disseminate the information online in small batches for the rest of the world to see.” Her account illustrates how people may try to preserve and share information despite a disruption, without implying that those workarounds are available or safe for everyone.

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How shutdowns are documented—and what the totals mean

Access Now maintains the Shutdown Tracker Optimization Project (STOP) as part of the coalition’s work. STOP documents incidents using technical measurements alongside news reports, personal and first-hand accounts, official orders and other contextual information. Access Now says incident details are manually verified against varied sources.

The totals are documented cases, not a complete census. Some disruptions may go unreported, and figures can change when new information becomes available. Access Now refreshed its methodology in 2024. For that reason, read the annual figures as a record of cases the coalition documented under its definition—not as a definitive count of every disruption or a direct measure of its human or economic impact.

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How to report a shutdown

If you experience or learn about a disruption, the #KeepItOn coalition accepts reports of full outages, throttling, blocked apps or VPNs, and notices from providers about a shutdown. Sharing concrete details can help distinguish what is affected from what remains accessible.

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  1. Note what happened: describe the service or communications affected, the location and population involved, the apparent mechanism, and when the disruption began or ended if known.
  2. Record what you observed: include relevant provider notices, official orders, firsthand accounts or measurement results when available. Distinguish direct observation from information you heard from someone else.
  3. Contact the coalition: use the reporting email routes listed in Access Now’s #KeepItOn FAQ. The FAQ also provides a story-submission form for affected people.

Access Now describes its Digital Security Helpline as a free, 24/7 resource for civil-society actors, journalists and human-rights defenders. It is not general consumer support.

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What the campaign does beyond tracking incidents

Launched by Access Now in 2016, #KeepItOn brings organizations and allies together to oppose shutdowns. Its work includes public awareness, monitoring and documentation, support for affected communities, advocacy and accountability. Access Now’s campaign page describes a coalition of more than 366 organizations; membership is subject to the coalition’s vetting process, and the count can change.

The coalition’s FAQ describes several approaches: documenting human-rights impacts, strategic advocacy and litigation, corporate accountability and disclosure, direct engagement with policymakers, and grassroots campaigns. These approaches address different parts of the problem—from recording what happened to challenging decisions and seeking remedies.

Resources for learning and advocacy

Access Now’s campaign materials include the STOP dashboard and dataset, annual reports, a Creative Commons CC4.0-licensed visual toolkit, an internet shutdowns and elections handbook, and educational and measurement resources such as the APC shutdown game and OONI measurement guidance. The campaign page invites civil-society organizations to learn about joining the coalition.

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