Real-time network data show Sri Lanka has imposed a nationwide social media blackout, restricting access to platforms including Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, and Instagram as emergency is declared amid widespread protests, NetBlocks, which tracks global network disruptions and shutdowns, tweeted on Sunday.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a public emergency amidst a spate of protests over the worst economic crisis in the country. Rajapaksa issued a special gazette notification on Friday, declaring a public emergency in Sri Lanka from April 1.

The move came after a violent protest erupted outside the residence of Rajapaksa on Thursday as hundreds of demonstrators gathered there and demanded his resignation for what they called his failure in addressing the worst economic crisis in the island nation.

After midnight on April 3, 2022, Sri Lanka local time, many people could not access their social media accounts, as has been confirmed by NetBlocks now.

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The firm said real-time network data collected from over 100 vantage points across Sri Lanka show the restrictions coming into effect across multiple providers from midnight.

"Metrics corroborate user reports of service unavailability across the country, showing that all of Sri Lanka’s major network operators, including Dialog, Sri Lanka Telecom, Mobitel, Hutch, are covered by the measure. Fully or partially impacted social media and messaging platforms include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TokTok, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger," NetBlocks said.

⚠️ Confirmed: Real-time network data show Sri Lanka has imposed a nationwide social media blackout, restricting access to platforms including Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, and Instagram as emergency is declared amid widespread protests.