Across all years of the KIO dataset (2016–2021), a large majority of events involved full-network shutdowns and their count grew significantly from 2016 to 2019 with no significant decline observed through 2021. Censors are also increasingly employing app-specific bans and throttling alongside full shutdowns, with all three restriction categories non-mutually exclusive and rising over the period.
From 2023-bischof-destination — Destination Unreachable: Characterizing Internet Outages and Shutdowns
· §3.2, Figure 2
· 2023
· SIGCOMM
Implications
Design circumvention tools to handle a full spectrum of disruption — from complete blackout to app-specific blocking to bandwidth throttling — since governments increasingly combine all three tactics within a single shutdown event.
Do not assume that surviving a full shutdown means returning to unrestricted access; post-shutdown environments often retain residual app-level or throttling restrictions requiring continued circumvention capability.