Jacqueline Rowe

Credit: ipopba / iStock Any internet shutdown constitutes a human rights violation. But in many instances, governments use internet shutdowns to cover up grave violations of individuals’ human rights, including illegitimate power grabs, electoral interference, state-sanctioned violence against peaceful protestors, and extrajudicial killings of political dissidents.

Crédito: ipopba / iStock Cualquier cierre de Internet constituye una violación de los derechos humanos. Pero en muchos casos, los gobiernos utilizan el cierre de Internet para encubrir graves violaciones de los derechos humanos de las personas, como la toma ilegítima del poder, las injerencias electorales, la violencia autorizada por el Estado contra manifestantes pacíficos y las ejecuciones extrajudiciales de disidentes políticos.

Most major platforms and services are still only available or functional in a small number of geopolitically dominant languages. Most of the internet’s content, services, and tools are available in only a few dozen economically powerful languages, leaving speakers of marginalized languages unable to fully enjoy the rights-related benefits that internet access provides.