A recent study of Surfshark reveals that since 2015, at least 71 countries around the world have permanently or temporarily restricted or blocked access to social networks.
Most of these interruptions have been related to political or social events such as elections, referendums and protests.
Currently, China, North Korea, Iran and Turkmenistan are blocked from accessing social media, according to the report. In general, it is foreign social networks that are usually blocked.
The report indicates that the practice of limiting access to social networks is often the product of anti-democratic governments that seek to suppress the freedom of citizens. “The blocking of social networks in most countries is more an intermittent fact than a permanent decision.”
Surfshark notes that in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates they restrict the use of internet calls.
The report from the online security and privacy company also indicates that there have been blockades in four Eastern European countries (Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Montenegro).
As for America, Cuba, Nicaragua, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela have also recorded a blockade of social networks in the past.
Venezuela blocked social networks at least twelve times in 2019 and Ecuador restricted Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook the same year.
The report also indicates the blockade that Brazil carried out on WhatsApp in 2016 and the ban on Skype in 2017 in Cuba.
A different situation is that experienced in Australia and Oceania, which did not register any case of restriction of social networks in the study period.
Likewise, it is pointed out that the most recent cases occurred in Lebanon, yesterday. Burkina Faso, on January 10 of this year and Kazakhstan, in the first days of 2022.
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Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
