Internet curbs restrict access to Google Maps, hit digital payments
Security-related internet shutdowns in central Delhi have disrupted daily life, preventing commuters from using navigation apps and digital payment services. The connectivity blackout has caused significant economic hardship for gig workers and logistical challenges for tourists and protesters alike.
Why it matters
The incident underscores the heavy reliance of modern urban infrastructure on constant internet connectivity and the immediate economic impact of state-mandated digital blackouts.
An Internet shutdown amid heightened security restrictions in central Delhi on Saturday (October 10) left commuters struggling to access navigation apps and make digital payments, autorickshaw drivers without bookings and tourists unable to reach their hotels.
Along Janpath, passengers struggled to find their way to their destinations, while tourists carrying suitcases searched for accommodation in Connaught Place. Several people heading to the protest against the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls said they were dropped off kilometres short of their destinations as drivers struggled to access navigation apps and passengers could not complete digital payments.
“ Idha r location, paisa kuch nahi pata chal raha (I cannot figure out the route or fare here),” an autorickshaw driver told a passenger on Janpath.
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