Using the OPTIMA Resource Library
This guide serves as a quick reference for how to find resources using the OPTIMA Resource Library. Developed by Digital
Resource Library
The Prepare, Prevent, Resist Resource Library is organized into four overarching categories to help you find the resources most relevant to you. When conducting advocacy, carrying out awareness raising efforts, or simply learning more about shutdowns and what you can do to prepare, it is likely that you will benefit from a range of resources from more than one of these categories.
These four guides are designed to better contextualize resources, offer connections between specific materials, and support you in navigating the library stacks. Think of these as your librarian’s reference books!
Shutdown Stage
Issue Area
Subcategory
Resource Type
Open Search
The Netaji
Artist: Girik Jain While Internet shutdowns have become a very normal thing in India, it largely does not impact many
Circumvention Resource Flyers
Yohani worked closely with OPTIMA’s partners in Tanzania to ttranslate and localize a series of circumvention resources for the Hadzabe
Rights Connect
Theodory produced a collection of short, non-technical summaries of legal expert opinions on the Cybercrime Act of 2015 and its
Brochure de sensibilisation préventive sur les outils de contournement
Forumvert developed a French-language, West Africa specific, quick-reference booklet on the use of circumvention tools to bypass instances of shutdowns
Guide Pour Mesurer L’internet
Emmanuel Diokh produced a French language guide to explain how to carry out network measurements on the Internet in order
Navigating Workflows Amidst Internet Disruptions in a Newsroom
East Mojo developed a location-specific, localized guide/protocol that functions as a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for themselves and the media
Internet Shutdowns and their impact on Gig and Platform Workers of India
Basudev Barman worked to determine the effects on internet shutdowns on app-based GIG workers in Rajasthan and Telengana. As part
Comic: 404 Not Found
Through its captivating storyline, this comic book produced by Earki, a popular satire platform in Bangladesh sheds light on the
Internet and Our Rights
This checklist developed by OPTIMA is designed to help you prepare yourself and/or your organization for an internet shutdown. The
Pre-election Internet Shutdown Preparations Checklist
This checklist developed by OPTIMA is designed to help you prepare yourself and/or your organization for an internet shutdown. The
Legal Guide for Network Disruptions in Ethiopia
Author: Kinfe Micheal Yilma, PHD This Legal Guide provides legal guidance to new telecom operators as well as civil society groups on the
Unnecessary and Disproportionate
Author: Wakini Njogu This report explores how journalism and the online civic space were impacted by the 2021 Ugandan internet
United Nations Statement and Language Related to Shutdowns
The UN has released a number of reports that outline how the international standard-setting body talks about the key issues.
Navigating Internet Shutdowns – User Guide
Lawyers Hub Kenya built this user-friendly primer that provides an easy-to-read introduction to shutdown advocacy, including definitions of shutdowns, network
Preparing for Shutdowns/Censorship Ahead of Elections
This brief presentation developed by Access Now walks through some of the most common censorship circumvention tools, outlines the various
A Taxonomy of Internet Shutdowns
In this paper written and published by Access Now, the authors outline each of the various technical mechanisms for implementing
Measurement Lab
M-Lab provides the largest collection of open Internet performance data on the planet. As a consortium of research, industry, and
IODA (Internet Outage Detection and Analysis)
IODA, a project of the Internet Intelligence Lab at Georgia Tech University, monitors the internet in near real-time to identify
OONI (Open Observatory of Network Interference)
Born in 2012, the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) is a non-profit free software project that aims to empower decentralized efforts
OPTIMA Network Measurement Training
In 2019 Internews developed its OPTIMA Network Measurement Training in collaboration with leading network measurement tool teams and experts. The
The Global Network Initiatives Country Legal Framework Resource
The Global Network Initiatives Country Legal Framework Resource (CLFR) is a detailed set of resources examining governments’ legal authorities to intercept communications, obtain access to communications data, or restrict the content of communications in more than 50 countries. Through this resource you can review a country’s laws pertaining to 1) provision of real-time lawful interception assistance; 2) disclosure of communications data; 3) national security and emergency powers; 4) censorship-related powers; 5) oversight of access-related powers, and 6) oversight of censorship-related powers.
Dialling in the Law: A comparative assessment of jurisprudence on internet shutdowns
This APC report “Dialling in the Law” outlines jurisprudence across the Global South on the legality of internet shutdowns. It tackles the growing challenge of government-mandated disruptions of internet access around the world, often under the guise of safeguarding public order and upholding national security interests.
The Laws That Let Internet Shutdowns Happen
Access Now’s Primer on Internet Shutdowns and the Law provides a comprehensive look at questions such as the legality of Internet shutdowns, existing legislation, impacts, and community members.