Gov’t internet shutdowns cost Uzbekistan about $220 million in 2022

According to the results of the research, the economic cost of internet shutdowns in 2022 was $23.79 billion, up by 323% compared to 2021. Last year, 114 major deliberate internet outages took place in 23 countries and 710 million people were affected by them.

The amount of financial loss by internet shutdowns in Uzbekistan equaled $219.7 million in 2022. The country ranked 5th in the list of 23 countries that severely restricted internet usage.

Russia is in first place with a big margin. In 2022, the country’s Roskomnadzor blocked a number of major social networks, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The damage caused by restrictions on the internet in Russia exceeds $21.5 billion.

Iran, Kazakhstan and Myanmar are also listed ahead of Uzbekistan.

In 2021, Uzkomnazorat slowed down the use of several foreign social networks, including such services as VKontakte, Twitter, WeChat, and Skype. However, the restrictions were lifted on August 1, 2022.

Also, in late June and July of 2022, the internet was restricted by the authorities during mass unrest in Karakalpakstan and the subsequent state of emergency.