- Surfshark Research found that 10 countries imposed internet blackouts in the first half of 2025
- A total of 24 restrictions on the Internet were recorded in the first half of 2025, and India is the worst author.
- The increase in internet censorship has seen a demand to avoid tools such as VPNs shot
The Internet restrictions imposed by the Government have increased in the first half of 2025, compared to the same period last year. New Surfshark investigation identified 10 countries imposed 24 restrictions on the Internet to date this year, compared to 20 restrictions in nine countries that occurred in the same period in 2024.
Specifically, Surfshark statistics indicate that Internet users in India faced more restrictions than any other country between January and June 2025. Authorities in India have used section 5 (2) of the Telegraph Law, 1885, to reduce Internet access in case of a public emergency. Five closures occurred in India in the first half of 2025 amid protests throughout the country.
Surfshark, one of the best VPN suppliers in the market at this time, has been drawing internet closures since 2015. Interruptions range from complete online tools to the censorship of specific social media platforms such as Facebook and X (previously Twitter) to VoIP services such as Telegram and WhatsApp.
Protests and political agitation are common causes of restrictions
“Over the years, governments have used Internet closures to control and silence journalists, activists and the public,” said Just Pukys, VPN Product Manager in Surfshark.
Statistics show that the interruptions of the local network connection, which affect a city or region, are more common than national closures. To date, Surfshark has registered 558 local interruptions worldwide compared to 124 stops throughout the country, with political protests and agitation such as the most common causes, followed by the elections.
At the time of writing, 24 of 196 countries and territories analyzed by Surfshark are blocking social media platforms and VoIP services with Telegram the most commonly blocked.
In January 2025, Telegram was blocked in Venezuela for five days, and the authorities even sought to block popular VPN suppliers while citizens tried to avoid interruption. More recently, in May 2025, Vietnam blocked access to Telegram with the authorities that claimed that the platform had not cooperated with them to stop crimes.
During the first half of 2025, two countries imposed restrictions for the first time since surfshark internet closure began. Albania issued a one -year prohibition on the video platform shortly, citing child security concerns. The authorities in Panama announced an emergency state due to civil disturbances in Bocas del Toro, which resulted in a regional internet closure.
The increase in censorship reflects the use of growing VPN
Surfshark notes that Iran has had three restrictions on the Internet to date this year.
It is not a coincidence that the use of VPN in the country increased more than 700% in June 2025, since citizens sought to access the Internet as usual. This despite the concerted efforts of the Iran Government to block and even prohibit VPNs completely.
“Internet blackouts can be dangerous, especially during critical events such as elections, protests or other political agitation. The loss of internet access makes it more difficult to keep in touch with family members, access critical media and share urgent information with the world about developed events,” Pukys said.
A virtual private network (VPN) takes the internet traffic from its device and encreates it through a safe and encrypted tunnel. It also hides your real IP address, which allows you to falsify your location. This means that not only can internet restrictions avoid, but prevent fisoteros from seeing what they are doing on the Internet.
