An internet shutdown occurs when an organization, often a government, intentionally disrupts the internet or mobile apps such as WhatsApp or Telegram in order to control online discourse. Experts define this as "a deliberate disruption of internet or electronic communications that renders them inaccessible or virtually unusable for a particular population group or in a particular location, often to exert control over the flow of information". These interruptions are also referred to as "blackouts" or "kill switches".