Iraq shuts down Internet to curb exam cheating

Iraq has decided to shut down Internet services for nearly four hours in an attempt to prevent cheating in exams, according to digital infrastructure services provider Cloudflare.

The data came from Cloudflare Radar, the company’s service that looks into global Internet traffic, cyber attacks, and technology trends.

The shutdown came on the first day of final exams in schools and universities in the country for the academic year 2022-23.

The move is nothing new. The Iraq Government has in the past shut down internet services in the country to prevent cheating in exams.

According to Cloudflare radar, the shutdown impacted most of the country. This included states like Baghdad, Basra, and Nineveh, Cloudflare Radar wrote on Twitter. The disruption was observed between 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. local time.

States and governorates Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok which are part of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of the country were exempted from the shutdown, it added.

Internet observatory NetBlocks also confirmed reports of the shutdown. Network data showed a collapse in internet connectivity in the country, NetBlocks said.