Internet Shutdowns: Endangered Communities, Silenced Stories

In 2024 there were more internet shutdowns, occurring in more countries, than ever before. In this event, Felicia Anthonio, KeepItOn Campaign Manager at Access Now, and Zach Rosson, KeepItOn Data and Research Lead at Access Now, outline Access Now’s latest report: Emboldened offenders, endangered communities: internet shutdowns in 2024. This report documents internet shutdowns and their often devastating impacts – including for human rights and human life — around the world. About the Speakers: Felicia Anthonio is #KeepItOn Campaign Manager at Access Now, an organisation which campaigns to promote digital rights and freedom of expression. The #KeepItOn Campaign is global campaign of over 300 organizations that fights against internet shutdowns. Felicia has authored and co-authored several publications on internet shutdowns and hosted the Kill Switch Podcast. Felicia is also an Advisory Council member of the US-based Open Technology Fund (OTF) and a board member of the World Expression Forum (WEXFO), in Norway. Zach Rosson is the #KeepItOn Data Analyst and Research Lead at Access Now, where he helps fight internet shutdowns globally. His past experience includes data analytics in the private sector as well as computational scientific research. He has published research in the field of seismology, using data mining and statistics to study earthquake risk due to fracking activities by the energy industry.