NetBlocks is a watchdog organization that monitors

cybersecurity Computer security, cybersecurity (cyber security), or information technology security (IT security) is the protection of computer systems and networks from attack by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, the ...

and the governance of the Internet. The service was launched in 2017 to monitor

Internet freedom Internet freedom is an umbrella term that encompasses digital rights, freedom of information, the right to Internet access, freedom from Internet censorship, and net neutrality. Some believe that Internet freedom is not a human right. They think t ...

Work

Projects

NetBlocks publishes original reporting on Internet governance and

sustainable energy Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Most definitions of sustainable energy include considerations of environmental aspects such as greenh ...

, providing tools to the public to observe possible Internet restrictions and to estimate the economic consequences of network disruptions. NetBlocks has established a high level of trust in communities around the world, facilitating the spread of information during emergencies and

Internet censorship Internet censorship is the legal control or suppression of what can be accessed, published, or viewed on the Internet. Censorship is most often applied to specific internet domains (such as Wikipedia.org) but exceptionally may extend to all Inte ...

events, according to peer-reviewed research published in the scientific journal ''

Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...

''.

Events

On 25 November 2017, NetBlocks and the

Digital Rights Foundation Nighat Dad ( ur, ; born ) is a Pakistani lawyer and Internet activist who runs the not-for-profit organisation Digital Rights Foundation. Her work in the field of IT security has earned her many international awards. Early life and education D ...

provided information about the nationwide

censorship of Facebook Facebook is a social networking service that has been gradually replacing traditional media channels since 2010. Facebook has limited moderation of the content posted to its site. Because the site indiscriminately displays material publicly post ...

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

and other social media services by the

Pakistani government The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the four provinces, two autonomous territories, ...

following the Tehreek-e-Labaik protests. During the

2018–2019 Sudanese protests The Sudanese Revolution was a major shift of political power in Sudan that started with street protests throughout Sudan on 19 December 2018 and continued with sustained civil disobedience for about eight months, during which the 2019 Sud ...

, NetBlocks stated that the Sudanese government maintains "an extensive Internet censorship regime" following the censorship of social media websites in the country. Following the 2019 Gabonese coup d'état attempt, NetBlocks monitored censorship in the country. The cost of the three-day Internet shutdown following the Zimbabwean fuel protests was also calculated to cost

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

an estimated $17 million. The block of Wikipedia in Venezuela and other censorship incidents during the

Venezuelan presidential crisis The Venezuelan presidential crisis is an ongoing political crisis concerning the leadership and the legitimate president of Venezuela; the office of the president has been contested since 10 January 2019, with the nation and the world divided ...

were also monitored by NetBlocks, with several international media outlets covering the situation with NetBlocks' work. In July 2020, as the Somalian Parliament passed a motion of no confidence in

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Hassan Ali Khaire Hassan Ali Khaire (or alternatively transliterated as Hassan Ali Khayre, so, Xasan Cali Khayre, ar, حسن علي خيري; born 1967), popularly known as Hassan Khaire, is a Somali activist and politician and is the former Prime Minister of ...

, NetBlocks reported that Internet access had been disrupted impeding media coverage of political and public reactions to events on the ground, presenting evidence contradicting network operator

Hormuud Telecom Hormuud Telecom Somalia Inc. is a privately held telecommunications company based in Mogadishu, Somalia. It is the largest telecommunication company and largest private-sector employer in the country, and also Somalia's first private enterprise t ...

's claim that the outage was due to "windy conditions." From February 2022, NetBlocks set up a reporting initiative providing extensive coverage on the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, documenting Russian efforts to disable communications at nuclear sites and in conflict zones.

References

{{reflist Internet censorship Information technology organizations Organizations established in 2017