As protests grow in Myanmar, NetBlocks says the country’s internet connectivity fell to 16% of ordinary levels, indicating a near-total internet shutdown (Protests Myanmar Netblocksfingasengadget)

Protests Myanmar Netblocksfingasengadget: A recent study released by NetBlocks found that the telecommunications infrastructure in Myanmar underwent a near-total shutdown during an organized protest in Yangon. The study also indicated that internet connectivity on all platforms, including mobile wireless, went down to 16% of ordinary levels. Although the protests were quickly quelled and have been handled by authorities without further bloodshed, these latest developments indicate how the private sector could become more important for those attempting to use their communications networks to organize politically.

NetBlocks conducted a two-part study to understand the extent of internet disruption during the protests. The first part utilized passive measurements from Internet traffic passing through NetBlocks’ global collection of autonomous monitoring and measurement devices (commonly known as “BGP probes”), which show how much traffic passed through each individual network within a country. The second part used active measurements to track the availability of specific websites, including independent media sites and an opposition party’s website, according to e-mails sent by members of the public who visited them during the protest.

These studies showed that, on August 19, the day of the protest, connectivity in Myanmar dropped to 16% of normal levels and traffic from within the country was being dropped by neighboring networks, primarily Singapore. Over the next two days, connectivity remained low with full connectivity not being restored until August 21st. For more background on this study, read an article written by NetBlocks’ research director Scott Madry.

Although the Internet has continued to act as a tool for protest in Myanmar, it is still unclear whether the shutdown was temporary or permanent. Due to the scale of internet connectivity in Myanmar, any future protests may only be able to be coordinated via mobile access rather than traditional web services.