NEW DELHI: Internet shutdowns cost India an estimated 2.8 billion dollars (about Rs 204 billion) in 2020, with 8,927 hours of disruption or targeted blackouts, according to a report by a UK-based organisation, Top 10 VPN. The report assessed the global internet shutdown cost to be around $4 billion, with India accounting for nearly 70% of the total losses.
Top 10 VPN, founded by technologist Antonio Argiolas, is a VPN review site that focuses on privacy and security. It used the Cost of Shutdown Tool (COST) to arrive at the economic impact of global shutdowns. COST uses indicators from the World Bank, International Telecommunications Union, Eurostat and U.S. Census to arrive at the impact of internet shutdowns.
India leads world in internet restrictions, shutdowns resulted in loss of USD 2.8 billion in 2020: Report
India’s losses, however, more than doubled compared to 2019 with 1,655 hours of blackouts and 7,272 hours of bandwidth throttling observed here last year.
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| A+A A- By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: India continued to lead the world in restricting internet access to its citizens with over 75 instances of internet shutdowns in 2020, according to the Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns report released by Top10VPN.
These shutdowns are estimated to have cost the country’s economy $2.8 billion last year, higher than any other nation in the world.
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How India lost $2.8 billion to internet shutdowns in 2020
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How India lost $2.8 billion to internet shutdowns in 2020
TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Jan 6, 2021, 13:08 IST
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India experienced 8,927 hours of internet blackout during the year 2020. (Representative image)
NEW DELHI: The world s biggest internet blackouts during the year 2020 caused India a massive loss of $2.8 billion, revealed the Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns report released by Top10VPN.
With 8,927 hours of internet curbs, India topped a list of 21 countries that curbed the web access of its citizens.
These shutdowns led to a global loss over $4 billion. India accounted for three-fourth of this global loss.
India most economically-impacted nation due to internet restrictions, loses $2.8 million: UK research group
India restricted 8,927 hours of bandwidth access, inclusive of social media shutdowns – more than any other country
Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS
India’s internet shutdowns cost $2,779.3 million in 2020 – making it the worst impacted in a list of 21 countries that restricted residents’ online access during the year. This is more than double the loss accounted for in 2019, a report by UK-based Top10VPN showed.
The report titled ‘Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns’ showed that India restricted 8,927 hours of bandwidth access – more than any other country. This includes 1,655 hours of internet blackout, 7,272 hours of bandwidth throttling, and social media shutdowns.