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What are Human Rights?

 

'The U.N. says restrictions on internet access are a violation of human rights. But many countries already have laws that make it legal to shut down the internet on grounds related to national security or stopping the spread of “fake” news.' - How Governments Shut Down the Internet

From autocratic Iran to democratic India, efforts to censor and manipulate the internet have put people's lives at risk. WSJ reporter Feliz Solomon came to me about the idea during widespread protests around the world in 2019 and asked me to create an animation to explain the techniques governments and internet service providers have been using to pull the plug on the internet. She got on the ground in western Myanmmar, the site of one of the longest internet shutdowns documented anywhere in the world. Meanwhile, I had a few hour-long sessions with two engineers to learn about everything from throttling to DNS attacks. 

During the protests in Iraq, professional photographer Ameer Hazim spoke to me about the impact of the internet shutdown and how activists had been finding ways around it. There isn't a lot. And governments are getting better at doing it frequently and covering their tracks. 

You can read Feliz's full article here.

 

Selected Styleframes

 

Credits

 

Art Direction - Crystal Tai

Design - Cynthia Soe

Animation - Crystal Tai, Sharon Shi

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©2025 by Crystal Tai

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