Internet shutdowns 2025 set a grim new record, with 313 deliberate blackouts across 52 countries, according to a report from Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition released on March 31, 2026. That marks an increase from 304 shutdowns in 2024, cementing 2025 as the worst year on record for internet censorship. But the numbers tell only half the story — governments are evolving their tactics, abandoning crude nationwide blackouts in favor of surgical strikes that target specific apps, VPNs, and satellite services while leaving other infrastructure intact.
Key Takeaways
- 313 internet shutdowns in 52 countries in 2025, the highest annual total on record
- Myanmar led with 95 shutdowns; seven countries imposed shutdowns for the first time, including the U.S.
- Conflict and unrest triggered 40% of shutdowns; 70 shutdowns coincided with human rights abuses including murder and torture
- Satellite internet blocks surged to 14 across seven countries, up from just four in 2024
- 27 countries blocked social media and VoIP services, up 29% from 21 countries in 2024
Internet shutdowns 2025: The shift from blackouts to targeted blocks
Governments are no longer content with crude nationwide internet cutoffs. Instead, they are deploying precision censorship tools that block individual apps, exempt certain institutions from restrictions, and specifically target emerging alternatives like Starlink satellite internet. This evolution reflects a strategic calculation: total shutdowns create obvious international outcry and disrupt the government’s own operations, while targeted blocks allow authorities to suppress dissent more quietly. A 30-day blackout in Iran demonstrated the extreme end of this spectrum, potentially marking the longest complete shutdown on record.
The definitional line between a shutdown and a restriction has become important. Access Now counts 313 shutdowns using a strict definition focused on deliberate, broad-scale internet cuts, while Surfshark’s 2025 research identifies 130 total restrictions, a figure that includes ongoing censorship measures and new restrictions in countries like China and the UAE. Both organizations track the same phenomenon — governments controlling information flow — but through different lenses. Access Now emphasizes acute, dramatic incidents; Surfshark captures the cumulative weight of restrictions old and new.
Conflict and human rights abuses drive shutdowns
Conflict zones account for the majority of internet censorship. Shutdowns triggered by warfare, civil unrest, or political turmoil accounted for 125 of the 313 incidents in 2025, or 40% of the total, across 14 countries. This pattern has held for three consecutive years, suggesting that instability and information control have become inseparable. Even more troubling, at least 70 shutdowns in 21 countries coincided with documented human rights abuses including murder, torture, rape, and war crimes. The data suggests governments are timing shutdowns strategically to suppress reporting of atrocities.
Myanmar, a country ravaged by civil war, led the world with at least 95 shutdowns in 2025, the second year in a row it held this grim distinction. The sheer volume underscores how conflict creates conditions where information control becomes routine. Iraq imposed nine nationwide shutdowns in 2025, each lasting between two and twelve hours, often justified by authorities as measures to prevent exam cheating. Whether the stated rationale is genuine or pretext, the effect is the same: citizens lose access to communication, news, and emergency services.
Satellite internet becomes the new frontier of censorship
As traditional internet infrastructure becomes harder to shut down, governments are targeting newer alternatives. Low Earth Orbit satellite internet shutdowns — efforts to block services like Starlink — rose dramatically to 14 incidents across seven countries in 2025, up from just four in 2024. The affected nations include Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Myanmar, Syria, Tanzania, and Yemen. This escalation signals that as governments lose leverage over traditional ISPs, they are adapting by targeting the technologies meant to circumvent censorship.
The rise in satellite blocks reflects a deeper strategic shift. VPNs and satellite internet represent escape routes for populations under digital siege. By attacking these tools, governments are closing off alternatives before they gain traction. Surfshark’s data shows that 27 countries blocked social media and VoIP services in 2025, up from 21 in 2024. The pattern is clear: as one avenue closes, another opens, and governments chase each new technology.
New players enter the shutdowns game
Troublingly, internet shutdowns are no longer confined to authoritarian regimes or conflict zones. Seven countries imposed shutdowns for the first time in 2025, including Albania, Angola, Cambodia, Lithuania, Panama, Papua New Guinea, and the United States. The inclusion of democratic nations in this list — Lithuania and the U.S. — suggests that the practice is normalizing globally, even in countries with stronger legal traditions around free speech. Once a tactic becomes acceptable in one context, it spreads.
India, already a frequent user of internet restrictions, added 24 new restrictions in 2025, maintaining its position as a leading offender in Asia. The country’s willingness to use shutdowns repeatedly — not as emergency measures but as routine policy tools — demonstrates how quickly the practice becomes embedded in governance.
Does internet shutdowns 2025 include both complete blackouts and partial blocks?
Access Now’s count of 313 shutdowns focuses on deliberate, broad-scale internet cuts, while Surfshark’s 130 restrictions include ongoing censorship and new blocks of specific services. The distinction matters: a nationwide blackout and a single-app block both restrict access, but they differ in scope and severity. Access Now’s stricter definition captures the most dramatic incidents; Surfshark’s broader approach reveals the cumulative weight of censorship across multiple forms.
Which countries had the most internet shutdowns in 2025?
Myanmar led with at least 95 shutdowns, followed by countries experiencing conflict or political instability. India imposed 24 new restrictions, while Iraq implemented nine nationwide shutdowns. The data shows that shutdowns cluster in regions with active conflict or authoritarian governance, though the practice is spreading to new countries each year.
How are governments blocking satellite internet services like Starlink?
The Access Now report documents a rise in satellite internet shutdowns to 14 incidents across seven countries in 2025, but does not detail the specific technical methods governments use to block these services. The blocking mechanisms likely vary by country and may include jamming, regulatory restrictions, or infrastructure disruption, but the report focuses on counting incidents rather than explaining the underlying technology.
Internet shutdowns 2025 represent a watershed moment for global digital rights. The record number of incidents, combined with the shift toward targeted censorship and the expansion of shutdowns to new countries, signals that information control is becoming a normalized tool of governance worldwide. The emergence of satellite internet blocks shows governments are willing to evolve their tactics to maintain control. Without urgent international pressure and coordinated resistance, the trend will likely accelerate.
This article was written with AI assistance and editorially reviewed.
Source: TechRadar
