India suffered economic losses to the tune of $2.8 billion (Rs 20,474 crore approximately) due to internet shutdowns in 2020, according to a report released by a United Kingdom-based digital privacy firm Top10VPN.
The report put India at the top of the list of 21 countries that restricted their citizens’ access to internet in 2020. It added that India saw 8,927 hours of internet blackout or restricted bandwidth access. Myanmar, Yemen, Ethiopia, Turkey, and Syria were among the countries included in the report.
The firm said that India accounted for three-fourths of global economic losses due to the internet shutdown, which it estimated at $4 billion (Rs 29,245 crore approximately).
The report specifically spoke about internet restrictions imposed by the government in Jammu and Kashmir, after it abrogated the erstwhile state’s special status under Article 370 in August last year. “In Kashmir, authorities lifted restrictions in March 2020, seven months on from a…