Internet Shutdowns Cost Africa $1.74 Billion in 2023
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In 2023, intentional internet shutdowns globally cost $9.01 billion from 196 major outages across 25 countries, affecting 747 million people.
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Sub-Saharan Africa had over 30,000 hours of internet downtime in 2023, costing $1.74 billion and impacting 84.8 million people.
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50% of 2023's global internet shutdowns were linked to additional human rights violations, especially restrictions on freedom of assembly.
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In Africa, major internet shutdowns primarily related to military coups and regional protests.
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The 5 African countries with the costliest internet shutdowns were Ethiopia ($1.59 billion), Algeria ($101.9 million), Senegal ($57.5 million), Guinea ($47.4 million), and Mauritania ($38.5 million).