Recent PhD Marika Miner publishes on internet shutdowns in India in the Journal of Peace Research
Quick Summary
- A new study by recent UC Davis PhD graduate Marika Miner focusing on India—the global leader in shutdowns—finds that digital blackouts are not applied evenly in response to security threats, as officials often claim.
Since 2016, governments in 77 countries have imposed more than 1,100 internet shutdowns, a tactic increasingly used under the banner of “digital repression.” A new Journal of Peach Research study by recent UC Davis PhD graduate Marika Miner focusing on India—the global leader in shutdowns—finds that these blackouts are not applied evenly in response to security threats, as officials often claim. Instead, they disproportionately target regions with lower ruling party support, follow incidents of opposition violence, and precede spikes in military action. The findings suggest that shutdowns may be even more politically targeted than traditional physical repression.