Flicking the kill switch: governments embrace internet shutdowns as a form of control

From Sudan to Syria, Jordan to Jaipur, the trend towards digital authoritarianism is deepeningHow to shut down the internet – and how to fight backWhen shutdowns spill over bordersOn 1 February 2021, reporter Ko Zin Lin Htet received a panicked phone call from a source in Yangon, Myanmar’s most populous city. The caller said the military had seized power and was arresting opposition politicians, then hung up. Ko Zin Lin Htet remembered what he did next: “I checked my phone and