Governments shutting down the internet An alarming quirk of the modern world is that governments can just…switch off the internet, plunging entire countries into digital darkness. This terrifying fragility of the internet is often utilized by authoritarian governments to silence citizens online. Over the last seven years, there have been 935 total internet shutdowns, usually as a (very effective) way to squash protests. It’s shockingly easy: last year, Myanmar only had to take control of four telecom companies to switch off service. As one Egyptian journalist told Guest, “The censors won.” #ScholER