Internet Shutdowns and Elections Handbook

Metadata

• Author: Access Now
• Full Title: Internet Shutdowns and Elections Handbook
• Category: articles
• Document Tags: #tech
• URL: https://www.accessnow.org/internet-shutdowns-and-elections-handbook/

Highlights

• An internet shutdown is an intentional disruption of internet or electronic communications, rendering them inaccessible or effectively unusable, for a specific population or within a location, often to exert control over the flow of information. (View Highlight)
• During blanket shutdowns, or total internet blackouts, access to the internet or all telecommunication services is completely cut, usually by a government actor. (View Highlight)
• In contrast, partial shutdowns target specific types of networks (for example, mobile networks) or services such as social media and messaging apps. (View Highlight)
• An internet shutdown can also take the form of throttling, when internet speeds are intentionally slowed down for the purpose of making it harder — or even impossible — for people to upload, download, or access information. One of the tactics commonly used by governments is downgrading mobile internet speeds from 4G and 3G levels to 2G. (View Highlight)
• Targeted shutdowns can be more difficult to detect and verify, particularly in remote regions and areas that are isolated from the outside world, such as conflict zones that may not be accessible to journalists and human rights defenders due to safety reasons or government-imposed restrictions. (View Highlight)
• Between 2018 and 2020, Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition documented at least 564 shutdowns around the world. Most of the shutdowns took place in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East and North Africa. (View Highlight)
• Shutdowns undermine the capabilities of election candidates — particularly the opposition — to campaign and exchange ideas. They also prevent voters from accessing information, weaken trust in the electoral process, and obstruct the efforts of those documenting irregularities. (View Highlight)
• Whether they take place before, during, or after an election, internet shutdowns prevent different actors from fully participating in the electoral process and hinder voters from accessing information, engaging in debate, and freely expressing their political affiliations. Shutdowns further make it harder for the media to report and keep the public informed, undermining the capacity of political parties and candidates to campaign and mobilize voters. (View Highlight)
• In electoral periods, governments that impose internet shutdowns also deploy other tactics to silence their political opponents, such as through their control over the media and restrictions on electoral campaigning and political gatherings. This gives ruling parties and candidates with close ties to the government an advantage over their competitors, particularly independent candidates and opposition parties. For example, in the absence of an unhindered and reliable access to the internet, opposition candidates may be left with limited options to campaign and attract voters and unable to compete on equal footing with powerful political players who control mainstream media. (View Highlight)
• internet shutdowns imposed following a contested election undermine the capabilities of the losing party — usually the opposition — from organizing to challenge the results. In contexts of political repression and media censorship, organizing protests and campaigns through the internet is one of few — if not the only — tactics available to the opposition and voters to exercise pressure on the authorities. (View Highlight)
• Internet shutdowns prevent the media from properly keeping the public informed during the different stages of the electoral process. The media’s role in elections is essential in reporting on political campaigns, informing the public about the candidates and political agendas to help voters make informed choices, fact-checking the statements made by political candidates, and investigating and exposing any election rigging. (View Highlight)
• While total internet blackouts are the most extreme form of internet shutdowns, restrictions on the use of social media and messaging apps also present a great hindrance as these tools have become essential for journalists and the media to reach out to audiences, disseminate and promote their work, and communicate securely with their sources. (View Highlight)
• Shutdowns place the legitimacy of the electoral process into question. They obstruct the free flow of information and expression, which is necessary to build public trust and facilitate transparent and fair elections. (View Highlight)
• During an election, finding and communicating essential information, such as reports of irregularities, problems with e-voting systems, and violence, is made more difficult under a shutdown. Shutdowns hinder observers’ ability to coordinate with the headquarters of their missions, other observers, and electoral authorities, as well as preventing them from verifying the accuracy of information they receive. (View Highlight)
• You can also consult organizations that document and monitor internet shutdowns and censorship around the world, including Access Now, who maintains the Shutdown Tracker Optimization Project (STOP), and network monitoring groups such as the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI). (View Highlight)
• Install and use circumvention tools, such as browsers and tools based on Tor technology, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and proxies that utilize encryption. (View Highlight)
• For secure communication, we recommend that you use applications and services that support end-to-end encryption. It is important to choose services and applications that are open source and undergo regular independent audits. (View Highlight)
• If you suspect an internet shutdown, you can consult monitoring tools such as the OONI Explorer, a worldwide database on internet censorship based on millions of network measurements, Internet Outage and Detection Analysis (IODA), and Google’s traffic and disruption tracker, which provides near-real time data to identify internet outages on various networks. There are also country-specific shutdown trackers, such as killswitch.pk and internetshutdowns.in. You can measure internet shutdowns and censorship yourself using the OONI Probe app, which allows you to run tests and document evidence of various forms of network interference. OONI Probe test results are openly published on the OONI Explorer site in real-time. Before using OONI Probe, make sure you are aware of the potential risks. (View Highlight)
• Note that in some countries, censorship testing can lead authorities to identify and target you for surveillance or harassment. (View Highlight)
• When governments resort to total internet blackouts, they are harder to circumvent. In a situation like this, consider tactics such as storing information, notes, and work on a thumb drive and sending it to someone traveling outside the area affected by a shutdown. For better security, you can opt for encrypting the drive or the files stored on it using software, such as Veracrypt. (View Highlight)
• If you are worried about authorities spying on your communications during an internet blackout, be wary of using a satellite connection. It is easy for authorities to monitor satellite communications, and in some countries even having a satellite handset is criminalized. In addition, using a satellite connection can give away your location, so you don’t want to use it if your location should remain secret. This means that if you choose to use a satellite connection, you must carefully consider the type and sensitivity of the information you’re sharing and the potential implications. (View Highlight)
• It is important to consider who you are communicating with and any risks you may be exposing yourself and them to during these communications, think about whether you’re exchanging any sensitive information, and determine whether it is better not to communicate until secure tools are available. (View Highlight)
• These solutions include sneakernet, offline mesh communications, roaming subscriber identity module (SIM) from neighboring countries, and non-digital communications such as ham radio. (View Highlight)
• If you’re using your phone for documentation purposes, make sure to password-protect it and to set up screen lock and lock timer. You may also want to use a separate phone for documentation, as this minimizes the amount of personal information the authorities or other actors may be able to access if they seize your phone, such as the content of your messages, contacts, personal photos, etc. You should also consider encrypting your files and backing up your data. For detailed and practical tips, read WITNESS’ guides on documenting violations and rights abuses during internet shutdowns, including how to set up a phone for offline documentation and maintain verifiable media during an internet shutdown. (View Highlight)