Internet shutdown report and Operation Blue Star

About the Internet shutdown report:

• The report was published by Access Now, a New York-based advocacy group that tracks internet freedom.
• It claims that India imposed the highest number of internet shutdowns globally in 2022.
• As per the report, this is the fifth consecutive year that the world’s largest democracy of more than 1.3 billion people has topped the list.

Key Highlights of the report:

• Nearly 60% of India’s internet shutdowns last year occurred in Indian-administered Kashmir, where authorities disrupted access due to “political instability and violence.

• Apart from Jammu and Kashmir, authorities in the states of West Bengal and Rajasthan imposed more shutdowns than other Indian regions in response to “protests, communal violence, and exams.
• The disruptions “impacted the daily lives of millions of people for hundreds of hours in 2022.”
• Internationally, the right to access the Internet can be rooted in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights .

About Internet Shutdowns:

• Internet shutdowns are absolute restrictions placed on the use of Internet services due to an order issued by a government body.
• It may be limited to a specific place and to a specific period, time, or a number of days. 
• Sometimes it can even extend indefinitely.

About operation blue star:

• It is a code name given to an Indian Military Operation to remove the separatists who were hidden inside the Golden Temple at Amritsar in 1984.
• The operation was ordered by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, primarily to take control of the Harmandir Sahib Complex in Amritsar (popularly known as the Golden Temple).
• Bhindranwale was seen as a supporter of the creation of Khalistan.

This operation aimed to eliminate Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale from the Golden Temple complex and regain control over Harmandir Sahib.

• The operation had two components to it, Operation Metal which was the invasion of the temple complex, and Operation Shop which was confined to the countryside of the state.

Source: THE INDIAN EXPRESS

Previous Year Questions

Q.1) Consider the following pairs: (2020)

International agreement/ set-up Subject

1. Alma-Ata Declaration – Healthcare of the people
2. Hague Convention – Biological and Chemical Weapons
3. Talanoa Dialogue – Global Climate Change
4. Under2 Coalition – Child Rights

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 4 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 2,3 and 4 only

Q.2) Which of the following adopted a law on data protection and privacy for its citizens known as ‘General Data Protection Regulation’ in April 2016 and started implementation of its from 25th May, 2018? (2019)

1. Australia
2. Canada
3. The European Union
4. The United States of America