Authoritarian states are increasingly shutting off or throttling access to the internet, creating separate spheres in a realm built on connection Authoritarian states are increasingly shutting off or throttling access to the internet, creating separate spheres in a realm built on connection China boasts of having the world’s largest population of internet users: 1.125 billion by the end of 2025, according to official figures . But as one joke has it, the Great Firewall – blocking not only