Connectivity As A Weapon Of War: How Internet Shutdowns Harm Civilians In Armed Conflict

Internet shutdowns have become a rising tactic in modern warfare to collectively harm, isolate, terrorize, silence, and control entire populations. Access Now’s latest report, Internet shutdowns in armed conflict: a typology of harms, unpacks the serious harms that internet shutdowns inflict on civilian populations during armed conflict, and calls for urgent, robust legal, policy, and humanitarian protections to ensure people can stay connected and safe amid hostilities.

“Internet access is not a luxury, it’s a lifeline, especially during humanitarian crises,” said Marwa Fatafta, MENA Policy and Advocacy Director at Access Now. “Internet shutdowns can no longer be accepted as an inevitable cost of war. They are deliberate acts of warfare and control deployed precisely when connectivity is most needed to harm and punish civilians. As belligerent parties continue to weaponize connectivity, the international community must reject the status quo and step up protections for civilian internet access and infrastructure — lives depend on it.”

Between February and May 2024, Access Now collected more than 120 testimonies and interviews from conflict-affected individuals, including journalists, doctors, students, workers, and others who have endured internet shutdowns amid active armed conflict in Gaza and Sudan. These testimonies helped identify five distinct forms of direct civilian harm — physical, psychological, economic, civil and political, and societal. The report aims to fill a crucial gap in the global understanding of shutdowns during conflict and the devastating impact on people and communities caught in the middle.

“Armed conflict is one of the leading triggers for internet shutdowns in the world today,” said Kassem Mnejja, Senior MENA Campaigner at Access Now. “They’ve become normalized, which makes shutdowns even more insidious and dangerous, as they often act as a cover for human rights abuses and extreme violence — the harrowing testimonies featured in our latest report painfully illustrate the human cost.”

Read:

Report: https://www.accessnow.org/publication/internet-shutdowns-typology-of-harms/

Testimonies: https://www.accessnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Annexes-Methodology-Internet-Shutdowns-Gaza-Sudan.pdf

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