The initial weeks of the year 2024 were no better than the preceding ones, as the world continued to suffer from bloody conflicts claiming thousands of lives. These victims did not merely succumb to the fires of heavy weaponry; rather, the destruction of infrastructure and disruption of relief supplies had a profound impact, exacerbating the severity and bloodshed of the conflicts. An integral part of these circumstances was that the internet was utilized not only through cyber-attacks or propaganda dissemination but also by targeting its resources and cutting off its services, which was carried out either by disabling power stations or directly targeting communication towers. This turned digital isolation into a weapon used by conflicting powers to exert pressure on each other and conceal their grave violations, making the targeting of communication lines no less significant than targeting military bases and critical installations.
Conversely, online communication served as a means to rally donations, distribute supplies, report on and rescue casualties, and mitigate the effects of these conflicts on their lives. This underscores the importance of defending the right to communication in conflict zones and wars.
The Weapon of Digital Isolation
The utilization of communication technology in armed conflicts surpasses the mere development of smart weapons, cyber-attacks, and sophisticated hacking operations. Targeting communication networks and resorting to digital isolation in conflict zones has become an effective weapon deployed during times of strife.
The war in Gaza stands as a prominent example of how the internet can be used as a tool for exerting pressure, imposing isolation, and practicing intimidation in conflict zones. Network disruptions were a key feature during the ongoing conflict, with network efficiency plummeting to as low as 5% in some areas. Israel's actions went beyond destroying 80% of the telecommunications infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, targeting cellular communication towers, fiber optic cables, and the offices of internet service providers. Additionally, Israelis resorted to missile strikes against civilian work crews attempting repairs and citizens trying to capture communication broadcasts. The Euro-Mediterranean Observatory for Human Rights documented the deliberate killing of at least seven Palestinian civilians by the Israeli army within less than a week while attempting to capture communication broadcasts and internet signals.
During the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan, the country experienced successive internet disruptions, the longest of which occurred in February 2024. During that period, internet and communications blackouts completely paralyzed various sectors, public services, and banking systems. This heightened the population's isolation, hindered aid delivery, and made it difficult for individuals to communicate to check on their loved ones.
Digital isolation as a weapon in conflict zones was not only used in the Middle East. Conflict-hit countries suffer from targeted attacks on communications, a tactic used by warring parties to exert pressure on each other. In Ukraine, for example, internet shutdowns are considered part of Russia's offensive strategy, carried out by directly targeting communication towers or destroying essential service infrastructure, resulting in partial or complete service interruptions.
Conversely, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) received the first-ever request from Ukraine to remove Russian domains from the internet on the grounds that they are sources of propaganda and misinformation leading to crimes against Ukrainians. Although it was rejected, the request reflects a growing trend of using and politicizing the internet in conflicts, using tools of censorship, and blocking it to exert pressure and impose sanctions on involved parties, which entails serious economic and social repercussions.
India stands out globally in adopting a policy of internet shutdowns in conflict areas. In 2022, Access Now, a nonprofit organization defending the digital civil rights of at-risk users, documented 187 internet shutdowns across 35 countries, with 84 occurring in India alone. Among these, 49 were in the portion of Kashmir administered by India, which had its autonomy revoked.
These cases do not reflect individual policies or exceptions but are part of a systematic deployment of internet shutdowns in conflicts worldwide. The Internet Society, a US-based nonprofit advocacy organization, reported in early 2024 that, in 2023, governments and other actors across 18 countries intentionally disrupted Internet connectivity or blocked access to specific Internet services for their citizens. Of the 124 events tracked across the year, 55 have been nationwide disruptions lasting from a couple of hours to a week during disturbances.
Relief through the Internet
In July 2023, the revelation of a video purporting to show two women being stripped naked by a crowd of men in the Manipur region of India sparked outrage among human rights organizations. They said delaying the disclosure of the video clips for more than two months was caused by a decision to cut off internet access in the area, which witnessed inter-ethnic clashes between the Meitei people and the Christian Kuki tribal people. A similar situation occurred in Ethiopia, which continuously shuts down internet access in conflict-hit areas. Internet has been down in the northern Tigray region since November 2020 (1199 days). In the Amhara region, the government has blocked internet access since the outbreak of armed conflict between federal forces and Fano militants, despite increasing cases of killings and assaults and international organizations' growing concern over increasing crimes against civilians and the inability to report these crimes or provide assistance to victims because of internet shutdowns.
These events indicate the positive value that internet connectivity offers in conflict areas, alleviating their effects and the active roles of the network in protecting civilian lives and mitigating the effects of conflicts on their lives. News websites, civil society organizations' electronic platforms, and social media networks provide a fast and intense flow of information, helping residents of conflict-hit areas survive, obtain assistance, receive relief in emergencies, or even respond to evacuation warnings and be informed about humanitarian corridors. Additionally, the internet provides much-needed communication channels for individuals to reassure their families and communicate with their loved ones. It also allows for the dissemination of images and videos at the heart of events, which may prevent crimes and human rights violations, assisting professional media, especially international outlets, in performing their tasks and accessing information sources, implicitly protecting civilians through the disclosure and provision of assistance, in addition to curbing military propaganda by providing alternative news sources.
The internet also helps in fundraising, organizing relief campaigns, and directing them more justly and efficiently. In Sudan, for example, citizens launched the #حوجة_الخرطوم hashtag (Arabic for Khartoum in need) on X (formerly Twitter) to provide relief supplies such as food, clothing, medicine, and shelter in combat zones. A platform called حوجة ووفرة (meaning need and abundance) was also launched to receive supply requests and donation offers. Sudanese migrants used the #KeepEyesOnSudan hashtag and a website to share information and offer assistance.
Perhaps the importance of the internet prompted the United Nations to consider defending continued internet connectivity as part of human rights, especially during times of conflict. In June 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released a report titled "Internet shutdowns: trends, causes, legal implications and impacts on a range of Human Rights," warning of the profound damage to the daily lives and human rights of millions of people caused by government-imposed internet shutdowns. It highlighted the impact of internet shutdowns on humanitarian work in conflict-affected areas, such as difficulty in communicating with medical aid providers, as well as the increase in violence due to the absence of documentation and reporting tools. The report included a range of recommendations for states, companies, development agencies, and civil society to prevent the implementation of internet-blocking policies, mitigate their effects, and emphasize the significant role of continuous communications in protecting lives and alleviating the consequences of conflict.
Alternative Networks
Starlink, a provider of satellite internet services owned by the US billionaire Elon Musk, gained prominence during armed conflicts in various parts of the world as an effective means to reconnect to the global web, especially in the Russo-Ukrainian war. The company provided thousands of stations allowing unlimited data connectivity from anywhere in a specific country through a network of low Earth orbit satellites, providing high-speed internet access and allowing the government to continue communications and bypass Russian servers. It took into consideration the challenges facing these alternatives, foremost among them being the financial cost, with the cost of providing satellite internet in Ukraine reaching nearly USD 20 million monthly, totaling USD 400 million by the end of 2023.
In GazaStrip, the government of the United Arab Emirates announced in February 2024 that it would use Starlink's satellite internet services to provide high-speed internet at the Emirati field hospital in southern Gaza to provide real-time medical consultations in collaboration with several international medical institutions.
However, Starlink's satellite internet services are not the only alternative to address traditional internet shutdowns, as other competitors such as OneWeb and Amazon are also developing similar services. China also announced the development of a wide-ranging satellite network project. Other technological alternatives to satellite internet include the use of mesh networking, as well as services provided by Project Loon launched by Alphabet, which provides internet connectivity from the stratosphere using solar energy and artificial intelligence to operate the service. This alternative effectively delivers internet access in relief areas and has already been used in Peru and Kenya.
The reality is that technological alternatives are not the only attempts to maintain internet connectivity during times of conflict, as highlighted by the Internet Governance Forum in October 2023 (IGF 2023), held in Kyoto, Japan. The forum proposed integrating internet shutdown indicators into crisis prediction and monitoring measures to improve responsible entities' response to crises and develop necessary strategies to address them. It emphasized the importance of private sector governance in protecting the internet from political pressures and establishing a robust and flexible digital framework to ensure the smooth operation of vital communication and information systems. Suggestions included developing interpretations and applying rules of international humanitarian law to encompass the use of cyberspace and internet shutdowns during times of war and conflict, as well as imposing sanctions on parties deliberately cutting communications and endangering individuals' lives.
Indeed, providing technological alternatives to internet shutdowns is not a long-term solution to protect the right to communication during conflicts, considering the politicization of these solutions by granting or blocking them according to the political stances of their providers. Different parties bear political and humanitarian responsibility to defend individuals' rights to secure access to wired and wireless communications and digital information sources, a responsibility that governments undertake to fulfill their commitments and minimize the consequences of armed conflicts.
This goes alongside the role of the concerned international organizations, local agencies, civil society institutions, and technology companies in border areas to increase broadcast range and network coverage capacities and enhance their security against piracy or penetration to prevent their use for counter purposes. This is in addition to long-term commitments related to cooperation in rebuilding damaged communication infrastructure and securing access to alternative and non-traditional solutions.
