In 2025, the world witnessed an unprecedented series of internet shutdowns, with no single day free from restrictions.

This alarming revelation comes from the latest report by Access Now in collaboration with the #KeepItOn coalition, which has been documenting communication blackouts for the past decade.

The report highlights that 313 distinct internet outages were recorded across 52 different nations, with several new countries joining the ranks of offenders for the first time.

Felicia Anthonio, the global campaign manager for #KeepItOn, emphasized to TechRadar that while conflicts remain a major cause—leading to 125 shutdowns in 14 nations—there is an emerging pattern.

Rather than imposing blanket shutdowns, authorities are increasingly resorting to "targeted" restrictions.

This trend is troubling as it indicates a more refined approach to censorship, tightening control rather than offering any improvement in digital freedoms.

Internet service providers are being pressured to block VPNs and satellite internet options, which are critical for circumventing censorship during crises.

As these alternative pathways become increasingly obstructed, accessibility becomes a pressing concern, especially during urgent times.

We engaged in a conversation with Anthonio to delve deeper into the shifting dynamics of internet censorship and to explore what challenges may arise in 2026.

The digital landscape of 2025 witnessed a profound evolution in state censorship tactics.

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A strategic pivot from comprehensive internet blackouts to precise platform targeting became the dominant trend.

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Governments in 40 nations executed 94 targeted blocks against major social media and messaging apps.

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This represented a significant escalation from the previous year's figures.

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Officials often perceive this method as a less disruptive compromise.

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Yet, for entrepreneurs and communities dependent on these services, the effect is equally crippling.

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The economic toll of complete shutdowns, estimated at nearly $20 billion globally, fueled this tactical shift.

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In response, populations turned en masse to circumvention tools like VPNs.

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A leading free VPN provider reported subscription spikes as high as 35,000% in 62 nations.

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These surges now serve as a clear barometer for the imposition of new restrictions.

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Confronted with this evasion, authorities launched an unprecedented counter-offensive.

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Measures ranged from advanced digital filtering and punitive laws to direct physical enforcement.

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In one region, a two-month VPN ban was accompanied by police device searches and legal actions against users.

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Another country blocked access to over twenty VPN websites in a single month.

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Advocates noted that political changes did little to alter the rigid censorship environment.

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The year also saw a novel frontier in this conflict: the deliberate targeting of satellite internet services.

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Systems like Starlink, which provide alternative connectivity, faced fresh regulatory and technical obstacles.

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This marked a new phase in the effort to control digital access and information flow.

Digital freedom across the globe took a devastating hit throughout 2025, with experts and watchdog organizations confirming it as the most severe year ever documented for government-imposed internet restrictions. Yet as troubling as last year was, the opening months of 2026 suggest the situation is only growing worse.

One of the most alarming shifts observed is not simply the frequency of shutdowns, but the sophistication behind them. Governments are no longer relying solely on blanket blackouts. Instead, they are deploying increasingly targeted methods to neutralize the tools people use to bypass censorship in the first place.

Satellite internet services like Starlink, which once offered a reliable workaround for those living under oppressive digital restrictions, have become prime targets. Fourteen separate incidents were recorded across seven countries in 2025 where these alternative connection methods were specifically attacked — a dramatic rise compared to just four such incidents the year before.

Iran has moved aggressively on this front, introducing legislation in mid-2025 that makes the mere possession or use of unauthorized internet tools a criminal offense. Those caught accessing satellite internet services face the possibility of lengthy prison sentences. Physical enforcement has also intensified in Myanmar, where authorities have been confiscating hardware and detaining individuals who provide satellite-based connectivity services.

The early weeks of 2026 have brought even sharper escalation. Iranian authorities began actively jamming Starlink signals, rendering the service largely ineffective for those who depend on it. Uganda ordered a complete suspension of Starlink terminals and services in January 2026, just days before the government imposed a full national internet blackout during its general election period.

The pattern is unmistakable — as each workaround gains popularity, governments adapt their suppression tactics accordingly. First it was VPNs, now satellite connections are in the crosshairs.

Iran and Russia have emerged as the leading forces behind a new and more insidious form of censorship. Rather than simply blocking specific websites or platforms, both nations are implementing whitelisting systems. Under this model, the entire internet is blocked by default, with only a small selection of state-approved services permitted to operate. This inverts the traditional approach entirely and hands governments near-total control over what their citizens can see and communicate.

Iran's ongoing communication blackout has surpassed 50 consecutive days, making it the longest nationwide internet shutdown ever recorded. Russia, meanwhile, has disrupted internet access in multiple cities, blocked Telegram, and deployed new technical systems specifically designed to detect and neutralize VPN usage.

These developments represent far more than inconvenience. Activists and digital rights advocates argue that whitelisting deserves as much international attention as complete population-wide internet cutoffs, as both serve the same fundamental purpose — silencing dissent and controlling the flow of information.

Despite this bleak landscape, meaningful resistance continues. The International Criminal Court formally acknowledged in 2025 the connection between internet shutdowns and crimes against humanity, and the Freedom Online Coalition called on governments to stop treating internet infrastructure as a weapon during conflicts.

On the ground, ordinary citizens remain the most determined line of defense. People are risking their personal safety to smuggle hardware into restricted areas and develop new circumvention techniques. Their determination to document human rights violations and share information with the outside world represents the most powerful counterforce to the expanding reach of state censorship.

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