The study conducted by cybersecurity company Surfshark shows that social media shutdowns are decreasing worldwide. Compared to the latter part of 2020, social media censorship has nearly halved in the first part of 2021.
The second half of 2020 was a rough period for digital freedom – it recorded 18 internet and social media censorship cases. In contrast, only ten were recorded in the first half of 2021.
The research shows that Africa remains the most censorship-intensive region in the world, where most social media shutdowns happen due to political events like elections or protests.
“Every social media blockade is a serious and worrying incident as it restricts freedom of expression and the ability to receive critical information. Restricting the ability to communicate freely online is similar to censoring independent media. Therefore, every instance of such governing should raise international concerns,” – says Vytautas Kaziukonis, Chief Executive Officer of cybersecurity company Surfshark.
The research shows that Africa remains the most censorship-intensive region in the world. Nine out of the eighteen 2020 ban cases happened in this continent. And while the total cases have nearly halved in the first half of 2021, five out of ten social media shutdowns also happened in Africa (Uganda, Chad, Senegal, the Republic of Congo, and Nigeria). In all instances, social media was disrupted due to political events such as repressions of opposition and elections.
The remaining five global social media shutdowns happened due to political unrest – opposition protests in Russia, anti-government protests in Colombia, anti-Modi protests in Bangladesh, political turmoil and alleged coup attempt in Armenia, and military uprisings in Myanmar.
These governments usually go after communication apps like WhatsApp, Skype, Facebook Messenger, Viber, and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Most internet censorship and social media restriction cases have to do with riots, protests, elections, and other events of political nature.
The full social media censorship report with regional deep-dives can be found here: https://surfshark.com/social-media-blocking.