[c]ondemns unequivocally measures in violation of international human rights law aiming to or that intentionally prevent or disrupt access to or dissemination of information online and offline, which undermine the work of journalists in informing the public, including measures to unlawfully or arbitrarily block or take down media websites. . . and calls upon all States to cease and refrain from these measures, which cause irreparable harm to efforts at building inclusive and peaceful knowledge societies and democracies.9 10. Shutdowns damage not only people’s access to information, but also their access to basic services. For example, shutdowns deprive people of essential online medical information and care. Importantly, network connectivity during emergencies and periods of unrest can mitigate public safety concerns and help to restore and maintain public order.10 11. During Internet shutdowns, members of vulnerable groups endure disproportionate hardships. For example, people living with disabilities, women, migrants, racial minorities, and members of communities based on sexual orientation or gender identity often depend on critical online resources.11 The ability to connect to safe and reliable communities or resources through the Internet provides lifelines that would otherwise be inaccessible. 12. State and global economies rely on steady Internet access for daily activities, and even where shutdowns only last for a few hours or simply slow access, they can cause commercial harm. Businesses reliant on electronic transactions are particularly affected.12 The Brookings Institution, a prominent American research and policy institute, calculated that shutdowns across nineteen countries over the course of one year cost a total of $2.4 billion.13 13. Notwithstanding these and many other detrimental effects, recent years have seen an upward trend in State interference with communications networks.14 In this year alone, several States within the ECOWAS community and African region have imposed Internet shutdowns, including: Gabon,15 the Democratic Republic of Congo,16 Sudan,17 Chad,18 Benin,19 and 9 U.N. Doc. A/HRC/39/L.7, para. 6 (21 September 2018). See U.N. Doc. A/HRC/35/22, para. 14. (30 March 2017). 11 See “Where We Call Home: LGBT People in Rural America,” Movement Advancement Project (April 2019), http://www.lgbtmap.org/file/lgbt-rural-report.pdf. 12 See “Policy Brief: Internet Shutdowns,” Internet Society (13 November 2017), https://www.Internetsociety.org/policybriefs/Internet-shutdowns. 13 See West, Darrel. “Internet shutdowns cost countries $2.4 billion last year,” Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings (October 2016), https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/intenet-shutdowns-v-3.pdf 14 See “What is an internet shutdown?” Access Now, https://www.accessnow.org/keepiton/. 15 See “Internet shut down in Gabon following attempted coup,” Al Jazeera (8 January 2019), https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/internet-shut-gabon-attempted-coup-190108072246896.html. 16 See “DR Congo election: Internet shut down after presidential vote,” BBC News (31 December 2018), https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46721168. 17 See “Sudan’s anti-government protests face a total power outage and social media shutdown,” Quartz (8 April 2019), https://qz.com/africa/1589356/sudan-protests-cuts-off-electricity-social-media-shutdown/. 18 See “Chadians feel ‘anger, revolt’ as they struggle without internet for one year,” CNN (25 April 2019), https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/24/africa/chad-internet-shutdown-intl/index.html. 19 See “Benin’s government has shut the internet ahead of an election that has no opposition,” Quartz (28 April 2019), https://qz.com/africa/1606670/benin-shuts-internet-blocks-whatsapp-facebook-ahead-of-election/. 10 4