Brookings: Internet Shutdowns Cost Countries $2.4 Billion in 1 Year

Governments that shut down internet applications and services cost countries $2.4 billion in gross domestic product from July 1 last year to June 30 this year, Brookings Institution said. In a paper Thursday, Brookings Center for Technology Innovation Founding Director Darrell West estimated the GDP impact of 81 short-term shutdowns in 19 countries. “In recent years, a number of countries have blocked particular applications, shut down specific services (e.g. instant messaging and voice over internet protocol calling), turned off mobile telecommunications services, or disrupted the entire internet,” he wrote. “Economic losses include $968 million in India, $465 million in Saudi Arabia, $320 million in Morocco, $209 million in Iraq, $116 million in Brazil, $72 million in the Republic of the Congo, $69 million in Pakistan, $69 million in Bangladesh, $48 million in Syria, $35 million in Turkey, and $20 million in Algeria.” West said he considered reductions in economic activity but not tax losses or drops in investor, business and consumer confidence.