"State governments in India have executed approximately half of the world’s known network shutdowns – large-scale, deliberate disruptions of Internet connectivity, cell phone service, or social media. India is also a hotbed of collective action with widely varying degrees of organization and coo ... rdination, which are partially determined by the identities of the primary participants. However, no independent assessment of the effects of such information vacuums on the strategy and structure of collective action exists, for India or any other state. In this study, I expand on a previously formulated theory of disconnective action by examining how structural and strategic characteristics affect collective action responses during a network shutdown in an extreme case via statistical analysis. Shutdowns are found to be much more strongly associated with increases in violent collective action than with non-violent mobilization. However, a breakdown of the structure of individual protest events reveals weak effects for both organized and ‘leaderless’ collective action during a shutdown. On the other hand, the co-occurrence of state violence with a shutdown is found to encourage non-violent action. The findings imply that information blackouts compel participants in collective action in India to substitute non-violent tactics for violent ones that are less reliant on effective communication and coordination. At the same time, while they may sometimes disrupt structured and non-violent protest, this effect is highly inconsistent. The analysis creates a precedent for other subnational studies of digital repression and adds to the discussion on extreme means of controlling (dis)information flows online." (Abstract) more

"The statistical study determines that network interferences are more likely to happen at higher rates of expansion of Internet connectivity until a tipping point, suggesting that efforts to extend Internet access in low- and middle-income countries may lead to less overt restrictions. This threshol ... d stands at an annual rate of expansion of about 7 percent. The interviews reveal that individual actors within the digital rights community are seeking more coordinated efforts to resist shutdowns. The interviews are also used to support points made throughout the report. 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. Approximately 105 known shutdowns took place that year, surpassing each previous year. The report 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." (Executive summary) more