According to a report by Delhi-based Software Freedom Law Centre, which looks at Internet freedom in 65 countries, measured Internet freedom score based on three parameters- obstacles to access, limits on content and violations of user rights. It scores countries on scores of 0 to 100, where a zero score means the country is "most free" and 100 means "least free".
The report declares that India leads the world in the number of internet shutdowns, with over 100 reported incidents in 2018 alone. From January to mid-August 2018, local authorities ordered service providers to temporarily shut down Internet access in at least 96 reported incidents in 19 states.
State-wise, Jammu and Kashmir recorded the highest number of Internet shutdowns with at least 36 documented incidents in 2018. Other states include Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana and Rajasthan.
The report adds that Indian authority temporarily shut down mobile networks or blocked social media apps during riots and protests, claiming that the measures are necessary to halt the flow of disinformation and incitement to violence. India also reported arrests for online speech including for content distributed on WhatsApp and Facebook. For the past few years, India's online freedom status has been "partly free".
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