Over 130 Days Without Internet: Kashmir's Long Wait To Get Back Fully Online Continues
Kashmir has been disconnected from the internet over 51 times this year; but yesterday marked the 134th continuous day it has remained largely offline -- the longest ever such Internet shutdown by any democratic country in the world.
While the entire country functions normally, people of Jammu and Kashmir have still not been able to normalise their lives, cut off digitally from the rest of the world.
Kashmir has been disconnected from the internet over 51 times this year; but yesterday marked the 134th continuous day it has remained largely offline -- the longest ever such Internet shutdown by any democratic country in the world.
AFP
134 Days Without the internet
Raman Jit Singh Chima, Asia-pacific policy director of Access Now -- an advocacy group dedicated to an open and free Internet -- said in a statement to Washington Post that the lockdown of the internet was ¡®unprecedented¡¯ for such an extended time for such a large population.
Ever since the special-status of Kashmir was lifted in August, all kinds of communications in the state were shut down -- mobile phones, landline and of course, the internet. While the Indian government eased norms on calls, (while also enabling post-paid calls), a tight seal on the internet still remains in Kashmir valley as of now.
Why is the internet still down?
The Indian government tries to defend the blockade on the internet by stating that it is being done to limit Pakistan-led terror groups from fabricating attacks on Indian security personnel in that region.
In August, when mobile and landline services were restored, the government also restored SMS for the citizens of the valley. However, the services were stopped just within a few hours when Army personnel detected terrorists using the services to mobilise people, according to reports at the time.
Restoring broadband in Kashmir
Recently, Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh said in a statement, "Curbs have been relaxed to a large extent. Phones are working (in Kashmir Valley). Broadband is functional in all districts of Jammu and we are thinking of restoring this facility, wherever possible, on a limited scale in Kashmir in the coming days.¡±
On December 4, Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governer G C Murmu had stated that the internet services in the valley would be restored to a normal state in phases once the situation turns ¡®more normal¡¯, but didn¡¯t provide any timeline for the same.
Reuters
The ¡®Internet Express¡¯
A recent Washington Post report shed light on the plight of the people living in the valley and how the absence of the internet has made regular day-today tasks impossible. The report also talks about the ¡®Internet Express¡¯ a train that travels to Banihal in Jammu -- where internet services aren¡¯t limited, to do all the things that require internet -- form submissions, college applications, etc.
The train is full of people, all who get down at Banihal and head straight to internet cafes that charge Rs 350 for an hour. However, their plight doesn¡¯t end here, as there aren¡¯t many cafes in Banihal that forces people to stand in long queues in freezing temperatures. The train has now been named as the Internet Express as that¡¯s the only link that connects them to the internet, to the outside world.
Restoring the internet by signing bonds
Last month, the Indian government has let a few companies in Kashmir breath a sigh of relief as it agreed to restore the internet connectivity of more than 80 companies, but with a catch. Each connection restoration was done for the purpose of business only. Moreover, the companies had to sign a bond that had six terms and conditions to prevent the misuse of access.
The first term states that one cannot use social networking, proxies, VPNs and Wi-Fi. Second, no encrypted file containing video or photos can be uploaded on such network. Third, the devices will be bound using MAC addresses to limit internet access to registered devices through a single PC.
Fourth, USB ports on such devices would be disabled on the network. Fifth, if any breach ever occurs through the company¡¯s network, they¡¯re going to be the ones truly responsible for it. And lastly, the government will have all access to the content and infrastructure of the company, should any such need arise.
AP
The issue of people¡¯s rights
Myanmar is another country casting the internet blackout for over 150 days on its citizens in Chin and Rakhine, after the battle between the military and rebels desiring increased autonomy has flared up in recent months.
Recently in November, Iran too faced an internet blackout (that lasted for around two weeks) after it hiked prices of petrol in the nation, causing unrest among the citizens, leading to massive protests that claimed hundreds of lives. We¡¯re already aware of China¡¯s lockdown on the internet during the Hong Kong protest.