Session
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK
Kanbar Hossein-Bor, Deputy Director Democratic Governance & Media Freedom, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Nicola Burgess – UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Amelia Timewell – UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Laura O’Brien – Access Now Idan Ben Yakir – Global Network Initiative
Moderator/government: Kanbar Hussein Bor – UK Country Chair of Freedom Online Coalition Task Force on Internet Shutdowns (TFIS).
Civil Society: Felicia Anthonio, Campaign Manager for the #KeepItOn campaign at Access Now (co-chair of TFIS).
Tech sector representative from the Freedom Online Coalition’s Advisory Network: Alex Walden, Google.
UN: Scott Campbell, UN OHCHR – including building on the recommendations for states/civil society/private sector in the OHCHR report on Internet shutdowns.
Academia: Joss Wright. Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University – including consideration of causation and bridging the gap between Internet shutdowns data and the social/political landscape, to achieve more focussed, data-driven policy approaches.
Kanbar Hussein-Bor
Nicola Burgess/Laura O’Brian
Amelia Timewell/Idan Ben Yakir
10. Reduced Inequalities
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Targets: By their very nature, Internet shutdowns restrict human rights and fundamental freedoms. Research, data and evidence from the United Nations, independent experts and civil society demonstrates the negative impact of Internet shutdowns and restrictions across all areas of life. Internet shutdowns: - Disrupt and limit the free flow of information, restrict free expression, ramp up censorship and impact the enjoyment of human rights. - Contribute to insecurity, increasing the likelihood of hostilities and violence. - Have a negative impact on public health, safety and on the economy. - Impact all people, and can particularly affect vulnerable and marginalised groups, including women. - Conceal human rights violations and abuses, and prevent individuals from accessing information that could assist in their fight against repression or help maintain their security. - Impact core tenets of democracy – for example, in the context of elections, they affect the ability of individuals to access information that could contribute to their voting decisions, and hinder the ability of actors including political candidates, election observers, human rights defenders, journalists and media workers from participating fully in electoral processes.
Theater
Town Hall style session.
Our objective for the session is to reinforce the importance of the multistakeholder approach to tackling digital threats, including Internet shutdowns, exploring and showcasing ways in which inclusive multistakeholder collaboration (countries, civil society and the private sector) can facilitate and effect positive change. We will also use the session to wrap up the UK country chairship of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC)’s Task Force on Internet Shutdowns (TFIS) showcasing learning, progress and achievements from our two-year leadership on this work. The session will feature a panel discussion and Q&A, bringing together experts to look at the ways in which an inclusive multistakeholder approach can effectively tackle digital threats, including Internet shutdowns, the challenges, and practical ways to safeguard and further develop this collaborative approach. Speakers will represent governments, civil society, international organisations, academia and the private sector. The session will aim to look at country case studies to identify both challenges and effective collaborative approaches. During 2024, the UK is chairing the FOC’s Taskforce on Internet Shutdowns (TFIS) alongside Freedom Online Coalition Advisory Network (AN) members Access Now and the Global Network Initiative. TFIS serves as a multinational and multistakeholder coordination and response mechanism on Internet shutdowns. Through TFIS, we are working to improve coordination among like-minded countries, civil society, and the private sector to anticipate and respond to Internet shutdowns and restrictions. As the biggest multilateral, multistakeholder forum dedicated to internet governance, the UN IGF is the ideal platform to bring partners together to progress this work.
The session will follow a Town Hall style format, with an aimed balanced representation of both online and onsite speakers and participants. The event will have an onsite moderator, chairing the discussion, and an online moderator to manage online participation, for example questions and comments in the online chat. The onsite and online moderators will be working closely together during the event to ensure a fluid and smooth conversation and interactions between participants onsite and online, supported by Google Meet/Zoom/etc and onsite AV equipment. The event will begin with an introduction and welcome from the moderator, followed by 3-5 minutes of speaking time for each speaker, which will take up the first part of the event. The second half of the session will be for an open discussion with attendees. During this time, the onsite moderator will chair the conversation and contributions from both online and onsite participants, ensuring equal opportunity of speech. The online moderator will source questions from the online audience to the onsite moderator, who will intertwine the online queries and comments with questions from the onsite audience. To maximise engagement, we will consider using social media and/or interactive polling (1-3 poll questions) on relevant issues throughout the event to 'read the temperature in the room'. The poll will use Slide/Mentimeter, which will allow onsite attendees to quickly access it using their mobile devices. The poll questions will also be pasted on the chat box by the online moderator, so people can respond to the poll questions in the chat box if they are not able to use Slido/Mentimeter. The online moderator will be responsible for collating insights from social media, the polling tool and responses in the chat box, to feed these to the on site moderator to announce and provide comments in designated moments throughout the event.
Report
To address and tackle the problem of Internet shutdowns, the multistakeholder community, including governments, civil society, the technical community, academia, the private sector, should collectively draw on the different perspectives, knowledge and strengths that each of the stakeholders have to offer - working towards a more holistic approach to understanding the both the motivations behind and the real-world impacts of Internet shutdowns.
In addition to advocacy around addressing Internet shutdowns, positive state practices should also be highlighted to serve as examples for other governments to ensure shutdowns are not used as a blunt tool to tackle societal or other challenges that can/should be addressed in other ways.
Call on states to refrain from Internet shutdowns, including as a blunt tool for tackling a myriad of societal challenges, and embrace multi-stakeholderism - in line with their commitments in the Global Digital Compact.
Call for more data-driven research to better understand the motivations behind internet shutdowns and quantify the real-world impacts, to inform and strengthen advocacy and policy interventions.
Internet Shutdowns: A Multi-Stakeholder Approach to Keeping the Internet On
This panel discussion, moderated by Kanbar Hossein Bor from the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, brought together experts from civil society, academia, the private sector, and the United Nations to address the growing issue of internet shutdowns. The conversation highlighted alarming trends, explored the wide-ranging impacts of shutdowns, and emphasised the critical importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in developing effective solutions.
Trends and Impacts:
The discussion opened with a sobering assessment of the current state of internet shutdowns globally. Felicia Anthonio, representing Access Now and the #KeepItOn Coalition, reported that their ongoing work on the 2024 annual database has already documented approximately 270 shutdowns in over 40 countries. Notably, seven shutdowns have been recorded in countries that had never previously imposed such measures, including Comoros, El Salvador, Guinea-Bissau, France (disrupting TikTok in New Caledonia), Malaysia, Mauritius, and Thailand. Particularly concerning was two members of the Freedom Online Coalition, Kenya and France, resorting to the use of internet disruptions. Protests, exams, elections and conflict are the major triggers of internet shutdowns, with cross-border shutdowns emerging as a worrying new trend. Conflict was the main trigger in 2023 with 74 shutdowns recorded in nine countries in times of conflict. Followed by protests with 63 shutdowns in 15 countries.
Panellists unanimously agreed on the significant negative impacts of internet shutdowns. Kanbar Hussein Bor highlighted the economic costs while Felicia Anthonio emphasised the major implications for delivery of humanitarian aid in conflict. Alexandria Walden of Google described shutdowns as a blunt tool that is bad for business, impacting users of a company’s products and services, noting also that from a human rights perspective, shutdowns are rarely necessary, and rarely proportionate. The discussion made clear that beyond measurable GDP losses, shutdowns have profound effects on people’s daily lives from business transactions to communicating with friends and family, as well as hindering access to education, healthcare, and vital information.
Joss Wright from the Oxford Internet Institute stressed the need for data-driven approaches to fully understand how the data relates to social and political factors on the ground and to quantify the impacts of shutdowns. This call for rigorous research was echoed by other panellists, who agreed that a more comprehensive understanding of shutdown causes and effects could strengthen advocacy efforts and inform policy decisions.
Multi-Stakeholder Approaches:
A central theme of the discussion was the critical importance of collaboration between diverse stakeholders in addressing internet shutdowns. Joss Wright articulated a vision of multi-stakeholderism that draws on and leverages the diverse perspectives, methodologies and and capabilities. This sentiment was echoed by Scott Campbell from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, who highlighted the reaffirmation of the multi-stakeholder model in the Global Digital Compact.
Kanbar Hussein Bor highlighted the UK’s work as country chair of the Freedom Online Coalition’s Task Force on Internet Shutdowns, alongside co-chairs Access Now and Global Network Initiative, including the Freedom Online Coalition statement on the importance of keeping the Internet on in the context of elections; and the Oxford Statement, launched with UNESCO at International Day for Universal Access to Information, which underlined the importance of digital connectivity for both development and democracy.
The panel explored various roles different sectors can play:
1. Civil Society: Felicia Anthonio shared examples of successful advocacy efforts, such as interventions in Mauritius, where an attempt to shut down social media before elections was prevented, and governments such as Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone making commitments to keep the internet on during elections in their respective countries. The FOC statement on shutdowns and elections was very important for this advocacy, engagement with governments and the wider #KIO election watch initiative. She also highlighted the importance of ECOWAS court judgments against internet shutdowns in Togo, Nigeria (blocking of Twitter) and Guinea.
2. Academia: Joss Wright emphasised the need for interdisciplinary research to understand shutdown motivations and impacts, as well as to develop technical and policy solutions. He stressed the importance of empathising with and understanding authorities’ perspectives to better understanding why they are implementing shutdowns.
3. Private Sector: Alexandria Walden discussed Google’s efforts in transparency reporting, including their Transparency Report and the Jigsaw team’s work on VPNs and the Outline product. She also highlighted the importance of human rights due diligence in technology development.
4. Government: Kanbar Hussein Bor outlined the UK government’s role in championing multi-stakeholder efforts, including through leadership of the FOC’s Task Force on Internet Shutdowns, and the importance of promoting good state practices, citing the UK’s decision not to shut down the internet during recent riots as an example.
5. International Organisations: Scott Campbell discussed leveraging the Global Digital Compact as a framework for advocacy against shutdowns and emphasised the need to address root societal causes of protests rather than relying on technological solutions like shutdowns.
Policy and Advocacy:
The discussion revealed a need for a nuanced approach to policy and advocacy. While all speakers opposed internet shutdowns, there was recognition of the need to better understand government motivations and take a more holistic view. The panel agreed on the importance of showcasing examples of good state practices and that developing alternatives to shutdowns that address legitimate government concerns.
Technical and Business Perspectives:
Alexandria Walden provided valuable insights into private sector considerations, noting that shutdowns are “bad for business because they’re bad for everyone who uses our products”. She discussed Google’s efforts in measuring and tracking shutdowns for transparency, as well as developing circumvention tools and alternative connectivity solutions.
Joss Wright emphasised the need for interdisciplinary approaches that combine technical expertise with policy understanding. This sentiment was echoed in discussions about developing more nuanced technical solutions that could allow for some government control without resorting to full shutdowns.
Future challenges:
While the panel demonstrated a high level of consensus on the importance of addressing internet shutdowns, several issues emerged for further consideration:
1. How to effectively prevent shutdowns in cases of protests or conflicts that are difficult to predict
2. Addressing the root societal causes that lead governments to implement shutdowns
3. Specific ways to institutionalise multi-stakeholder approaches at national levels
The discussion concluded with a call for continued collaboration and research. Key action items included leveraging the Global Digital Compact for advocacy, continuing private sector transparency efforts, and conducting more data-driven research to better understand the motivations behind internet shutdowns and quantify the real-world impacts, to inform and strengthen advocacy and policy interventions.
In summary, this panel discussion provided a comprehensive overview of the complex issue of internet shutdowns, emphasising the critical need for continued multi-stakeholder collaboration to develop effective strategies for keeping the internet open and accessible worldwide. The conversation highlighted both the urgency of the problem and the potential for positive change through ongoing coordinated and collaborative efforts across sectors.