Protests, Internet shutdowns, and disinformation in a transitioning state

Abstract

Internet shutdowns authorized by the state are becoming a recurring case in countries under military or authoritarian rule, such as Sudan. This article examines how the military in Sudan shut down the Internet to cover up the June 3 massacre. The shutdown made it difficult for the protestors and civilians to share and document the human rights violations committed by the state from June 3 to July 9, 2019. We also demonstrate how the Internet shutdowns were instrumental in circulating state-sponsored disinformation campaigns delegitimizing the protests. The article expands on existing literature to explain how information vacuums are conducive to the spread of disinformation and the weakening of on-ground protest movements. Despite the crippling effects of the Internet shutdown in Khartoum, our analysis illustrates how protestors challenged designed technical and physical workarounds to circumvent the shutdown.

Mechanisms for Preventing Disinformation in Public Administration: Current Issues

“…Publications of such scientists as Kudrana Jan. ( 2022), Leite S.N. et al (2021), Bhatia K. et al (2023), Pansieri Flávio et al (2021, Tulchynska S., et al (2021), Nikiforov P. et al (2022) are devoted to the development of current problems of countering disinformation in public administration.…”