India 🇮🇳 State authorities suspended mobile internet services in central Delhi from 9 to 10 October, ahead of a protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. According to Business Standard, the shutdown covered a four-kilometre radius around the protest site and was justified on public-order grounds.

Kumar is at the centre of a growing political storm after the Narendra Modi government ordered the removal of 130 million names – more than the population of Japan – from India’s electoral roll through a process known as special intensive revision (SIR). SIR was overseen by the election commission headed by Kumar and reportedly removed names of millions of living Indian citizens alongside tens of millions of dead and duplicate names.

The internet shutdown decision triggered Supreme Court proceedings over alleged non-compliance with an earlier order protecting internet access. On 15 October, Sambad English reported that the government defended the shutdown and asked the court to reconsider its restrictions on future suspensions. 

Delhi authorities also reportedly blocked mobile internet at eight stadium-based detention centres, according to Urban Acres. 

Separately, Business Standard reported on 12 October that Delhi Police had secured the removal of around 300 social media posts allegedly spreading rumours.

Türkiye 🇹🇷 Turkish authorities reportedly took control of Halk TV, a prominent independent news channel critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government, and halted its live broadcasts on 14 October, according to Sahara Reporters.

The intervention reportedly followed a police raid and the appointment of a government administrator amid a criminal investigation involving the channel’s owner and others.

The allegations include bribery and money laundering, but they have not been established as findings of guilt.

Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 Access to TikTok, Instagram and X was reportedly restricted in Azerbaijan amid protests over hijab regulations in schools. On 13 October, TechRadar reported widespread blocking that have occurred over the past month, citing internet monitoring organisation Netblocks and VPN provider Surfshark.

Pakistan 🇵🇰 Internet connectivity was disrupted in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amid political unrest and protests by supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, according to The Daily Star, which reported on the incident on 12 October.

The disruption coincided with heightened security measures and political tensions involving Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The precise cause of the connectivity problems remains unclear, and it has not been established whether they resulted from a formal government shutdown order or other network issues.

🌍 Stay up to date with the latest internet disruptions with Internet Society’s Pulse shutdown tracker.

🇷🇺💥🇺🇦 Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian data centres operated by Yandex have disrupted nearly half of the company's infrastructure, affecting numerous businesses relying on its cloud and payment services. According to an analysis by US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the attacks have exposed vulnerabilities in Russia's long-standing strategy of building a "sovereign internet", which requires critical digital infrastructure and personal data to be hosted domestically. The concentration of infrastructure within Russia, intended to strengthen state control and digital independence, has instead increased the risk of widespread service disruptions. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 16 October 2026

🇺🇸⚡🇮🇷 A bipartisan bill aimed at combating internet censorship in Iran was introduced in the US House of Representatives on 15 October. Sponsored by Republican Claudia Tenney and Democrat Yassamin Ansari, the proposed IRAN Act seeks to expand access to uncensored internet services, strengthen anti-censorship technologies and support secure communications for Iranian journalists and human rights defenders. The legislation also calls for exploring satellite connectivity, decentralised networks and other tools to circumvent government-imposed restrictions, while ensuring US sanctions do not inadvertently limit access to these technologies. IranWire, 16 October 2026

🌐 The Tor Project has decided to maintain its technical partnership with VPN provider Mullvad despite criticism over a political donation made by one of Mullvad’s co-founders to a controversial Swedish populist party. In a statement issued on 9 October, the privacy-focused nonprofit announced it would suspend joint promotional activities to avoid any perceived political endorsement, while continuing technical collaboration, including development of the Mullvad Browser. Tor argued that ending the partnership would undermine tools essential to protecting online privacy and circumventing censorship. TechRadar, 12 October 2026

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