"Disconnected: A Human Rights-Based Approach to Network Disruptions," June 2018

Since 2011, network disruptions and large-scale network shutdowns have become a widespread tool of information control. Governments in at least four continents (Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America) have shut down connectivity or social media... [and] this new form of digital repression requires far greater attention.., [This report] reveal[s] that individual actors within the digital rights community are seeking more coordinated efforts to resist shutdowns... [It also] outlines a broad range of civil and political, as well as economic, cultural, and social rights that are typically impacted by network disruptions, moving beyond the typical focus on freedom of expression, elections, and economic impacts to broaden the arguments and actors discouraging disruptions... A calculation of the cumulative duration of network disruptions reveals that the Internet and/or social media were disrupted around the world for about 2,500 cumulative days in 2017 alone. [refers to Alphabet, Facebook, Google, Orange, Twitter, WhatsApp]