The annual review shows that Africa is the most censored region in the world, accounting for almost 53% of all cases in 2021. The majority of social media closures occurred during political events such as demonstrations (37% of cases) or elections (21%).
Countries that blocked social media in 2021:
Although censorship numbers were lower in 2021, they followed a similar trend as last year. The closures usually targeted applications such as WhatsApp, Skype, Facebook Messenger, Viber, and platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. In addition, the majority of social media foreclosures were related to politics:
- Seven cases (37%) concerned countries affected by the protests (Burkina Faso, South Sudan, Senegal, Iran, Russia, Cuba and Colombia).
- Four cases (21%) concerned countries during the presidential elections (Congo, Uganda, Zambia and Russia).
- The remaining eight cases (44%) occurred during the general political turmoil (Chad, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sudan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Iran and Myanmar).
By comparison, in 2020, six of the 29 social media restrictions were imposed during the election and eight more occurred during various demonstrations.
“In politics, 2021 has been more stable than 2020, albeit far from ideal. However, countries are apparently not afraid to trigger social media in areas of political turmoil. This is still particularly true in Africa and Asia. And although this year showed a positive turn it is not yet clear whether the trend will continue in 2022 and beyond “, – says Vytautas Kaziukonis, CEO of Surfshark.
The events paralyzed the communications of millions of people in times of political distress and a global pandemic. According to a Surfshark study, the blockages affected 250 million people.
This year, Africa has become the most censored continent in the world, accounting for 10 (almost 53%) cases in 2021. Its closures were also the most politically severe:
- Africa led social media closure figures on election days (three out of four cases were in Congo, Uganda and Zambia).
- Chad blocked the internet after a raid on real estate Yaya Dillo, Representative of the Chadian Government Opposition. This event was held on February 28, about two months before the presidential election.
- Ethiopia claimed the power outage on their social media was due to leaked Class 12 exam papers. However, most people believe that the Internet was blocked when rebel forces claimed to have taken over strategic cities.
Source: Surfshark
Source: The Nordic Page