Communicating During an Internet Shutdown

Do you have a plan to communicate, to share information, and receive uncensored news if the government shuts down your access to the Internet and cellular networks?

Internet shutdowns are designed to block people from sharing information and communicating (and also push people into less secure forms of communication such as mobile phone and SMS, which are easier for authorities to intercept and monitor). There are not always good workarounds during complete shutdowns. During the strictest periods of the shutdown people resorted to using handwritten notes and couriers to get messages to their loved ones.

We don’t have sure-fire ways to circumvent all blockages, but through conversations with activists and peers, we have learned some methods and approaches for offline sharing and communication that may work for you, depending on the circumstances. Note that some of these options require internet to initially set up (e.g. to download apps, etc).

Some options...

File Sharing and Communication During an Internet Shutdown https://blog.witness.org/2020/02/file-sharing-communication-internet-shutdown/

These Mobile Apps Let You Communicate During Internet Shutdowns https://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/344123

Get Internet Access When Your Government Shuts It Down (2011) https://www.pcworld.com/article/494423/get_internet_access_when_your_government_shuts_it_down.html

A guide to staying online if the internet or social media gets blocked in your country (2017) https://qz.com/africa/878823/a-guide-to-staying-online-if-the-internet-or-social-media-has-been-blocked-in-your-country/

Transferring files Between Two Devices without Internet (2016) https://www.engadget.com/2016-08-19-transferring-files-between-two-devices-without-internet.html

6 Apps To Chat And Text With No Internet Connection Via Mesh Network (2021) https://www.geckoandfly.com/22562/chat-without-internet-connection-mesh-network/

7 Best Offline Messaging Apps that Run without Internet (2019) https://beebom.com/best-offline-messaging-apps-run-without-internet/

Build Your Own Internet https://buildyourowninter.net/

How to Build Your Own Internet (PDF) https://www.internetsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Manual_Africa_ISA_How-to-build-your-own-internet-Part-1-draft-8-min.pdf


Files can also be sent via radio. Amateur (Ham) Radio operators do this frequently, sending and receiving e-mail with a system called WinLink (https://winlink.org/), and making peer-to-peer connections with computer/radio interface programs such as FLDigi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fldigi). Of course you will need your Ham Radio license to use these systems, but a license is not too difficult to get, and it will definitely improve your communications capability.

Of course, the government doesn't have to shut down the Internet to keep YOU off line. In 2019, the American military base, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, sought protective orders from the Federal District Court in Tacoma, WA (https://pacer.uscourts.gov/) to restrict whistle-blowers from having access to Internet or cellular devices. The military's concern? Information about illegal government surveillance might be shared with the news media or posted on-line! - If the government ordered your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and cellular provider to suspend your accounts, do you have a communications plan? 

Consider how you would communicate under martial law. https://cascadiasurvivalist.blogspot.com/2022/04/dont-necessarily-trust-government-or.html or when a government imposes communications restrictions.