Primacy of right to life, says India at G20 talks on internet shutdowns

The frequent internet shutdown in India came up for discussion during the two-day G20 meet on cybersecurity where one of the panellists Nneena Nwakanma said that India should "stop shutting down the internet anytime." She along with others were part of a panel discussion on "Internet Governance-National Responsibility and Global Commons." Nwakanma is associated with Geneva-based International Digital Health and AI Research Collaborative and was responding to frequent net bans imposed by federal governments.

In India, the internet ban was most recently imposed in Manipur where it has been suspended for the past 71 days till July 20, due to ethnic violence. The Supreme Court is likely to take up Manipur government's plea on Monday against the Manipur HC order for limited restoration of Internet.

Earlier, the internet was suspended in Punjab in March this year during the crackdown on pro-Khalistan leader. Before that, the longest internet ban was witnessed in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. According to global digital rights group Access Now, India imposed the highest number of shutdowns - at least 33 till May 2023, among 80 shutdowns across 21 countries during the same period.

Responding to a query on the frequent internet bans in India, former Intelligence Bureau chief and member of National Human Rights Commission, Rajiv Jain clarified that Right to Freedom of Expression, Right to Privacy and Right to Life are in many "situations in conflict with each other."