Blockchain Press Releases
Amid Rise in Internet Shutdowns in the Middle East, Internet Society Launches ‘NetLoss’ Calculator to Measure Economic Impact
The groundbreaking NetLoss calculator uses a unique econometric framework to give a new level of precision in estimating the impact of Internet shutdowns worldwide
WASHINGTON, June 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The Internet Society today launched the NetLoss calculator, a revolutionary tool that measures the economic impact of Internet shutdowns around the world. Hosted on the Internet Society’s Pulse Platform that tracks and analyzes shutdowns, NetLoss uses a groundbreaking econometric framework to understand the impacts of shutdowns and provides an unprecedented level of rigor and precision in estimating their economic damage.
Internet shutdowns globally reached a record high in 2022, with governments around the world ordering Internet access and services to be restricted or blocked during civil unrest, school exams, and during elections, which resulted in major economic consequences.
The Middle East and North Africa region experienced 37 shutdowns across 11 countries, which is a 62 percent increase from 2021. According to NetLoss the recent shutdown in Sudan, which took place from April 19-24 2023, is estimated to have cost the country more than USD 3 million as well as the loss of 560 jobs. Iran experienced the most shutdowns in the region at 18; other countries that experienced shutdowns were Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Oman, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, and Yemen. 24.3% of shutdowns in the region were service-based, which involves blocking access to messaging and social media platforms.
Governments often mistakenly believe that Internet shutdowns will quell unrest, stop the spread of misinformation, or reduce harm from cybersecurity threats. But shutdowns are extremely disruptive to economic activity: they halt e-commerce, generate losses in time-sensitive transactions, increase unemployment, interrupt business-customer communications, and create financial and reputational risks for companies. They also hurt a country’s growth as research shows Internet adoption positively impacts Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The Internet Society has long opposed the practice of Internet shutdowns, and urges all governments to refrain from implementing them due to the damage they inflict on a nation’s economy, civil society, and Internet infrastructure. With NetLoss, organizations and advocates can demonstrate to governments and regulators how a shutdown will negatively impact their nation’s economy.
In addition to the estimated cost of an Internet shutdown (i.e. the loss in GDP), the Internet Society NetLoss calculator also estimates:
- The change in the unemployment rate due to a shutdown.
- The amount of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) lost due to a shutdown.
- Risk of a shutdown: the probability that a country will experience a shutdown.
“The global rise in Internet shutdowns shows that governments continue to ignore the negative consequences of undermining the open, accessible, and secure nature of the global Internet,” said Andrew Sullivan, President and CEO of the Internet Society. “The calculator is a major step forward for the community of journalists, policymakers, technologists, and other stakeholders who are pushing back against the damaging practice of Internet shutdowns. Its groundbreaking and fully transparent methodology will help show governments around the world that shutting down the Internet is never a solution.”
The calculator considers a wide range of economic impacts beyond traditional measures of economic output, such as GDP, to demonstrate the financial impact of an Internet shutdown. It also includes the change in the unemployment rate, the amount of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) lost, and the risk of a future shutdowns.
In addition to its primary indicators, the NetLoss calculator’s methodology also takes into account other factors that can impact country-specific economic outcomes, including the age dependency ratio (percentage of working 18-65 years old to total population), the fraction of the population residing in urban areas, and the percentage of the labor force with basic education.
By using the following open data sets, the NetLoss calculator’s methodology is reproducible and transparent:
- Shutdown data: Includes detailed event-level data on government-mandated shutdown events.
- Protests and civil unrest: Includes detailed event-level data on various events, their start and end dates, involved parties, and associated fatalities.
- Elections: The Constituency-Level Elections Archive maintained by Yale University provides elections data from 150 countries since 1960.
- Socioeconomic indicators: The World Bank provides data on economic indicators including GDP per capita, employment, inflation, and foreign investment.
The framework used in the NetLoss calculator builds on the Internet Society’s long standing research and advocacy on this issue via the Pulse Platform. Launched in December 2020, Internet Society Pulse consolidates trusted third-party Internet measurement data from various sources into a single platform to examine Internet trends and tell data-driven stories so that policymakers, researchers, journalists, network operators, civil society groups and others can better understand the health, availability and evolution of the Internet.
The source of data for NetLoss is the World Bank’s World Development Indicators, which typically corrects for minor statistical changes. Data used in the calculator is updated quarterly.
The NetLoss calculator can be found at: https://pulse.internetsociety.org/netloss
About the Internet Society
Founded in 1992 by Internet pioneers, the Internet Society is a global non-profit organization working to ensure the Internet is for everyone. Through its community of members, special interest groups, and 130+ chapters around the world, the organization defends and promotes Internet policies, standards, and protocols that keep the Internet open, globally connected, and secure. For more information, please visit internetsociety.org.
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Blockchain Press Releases
Bybit’s CEO Meets with Vietnam’s Minister of Finance to Support Regulatory Sandbox and Strengthen Crypto Compliance
DUBAI, UAE, April 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Ben Zhou, Co-founder and CEO of Bybit, one of the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchanges by trading volume, met with H.E. Nguyen Van Thang, Minister of Finance of Vietnam, to express Bybit’s strong support for the country’s regulatory sandbox initiative and its vision to build a safe, transparent, and innovation-friendly digital asset ecosystem.
Hosted at the Ministry of Finance headquarters, the meeting centered on Vietnam’s efforts to establish a comprehensive legal framework for crypto assets. Minister Nguyen Van Thang outlined the Government’s plan to launch a pilot sandbox mechanism that will allow regulators to test the issuance and trading of crypto assets in a controlled environment. This initiative is designed to mitigate risks, strengthen investor protection, and ensure regulatory readiness before introducing official legislation.
A key part of the discussion focused on safeguarding the market against illicit activities. The Minister emphasized the importance of robust compliance frameworks, including Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols, to prevent the misuse of digital assets and support the country’s financial security.
In response, Ben Zhou welcomed Vietnam’s measured and responsible approach to digital asset regulation and reiterated Bybit’s long-standing commitment to compliance:
“Vietnam’s forward-thinking regulatory sandbox is a critical step toward unlocking the full potential of blockchain technology. At Bybit, we are fully aligned with the Government’s focus on investor protection and financial integrity,” said Ben Zhou, Co-founder and CEO of Bybit. “We are proud to share our expertise in KYC, AML, and global compliance standards, and we look forward to supporting Vietnam in building a resilient, secure, and dynamic crypto economy.”
Bybit expressed its readiness to collaborate with Vietnamese authorities on several fronts, including system architecture design, transaction oversight, and the implementation of international best practices in AML/KYC. The exchange also proposed support in capacity building, such as training financial regulators and sharing experiences from other jurisdictions.
Minister Nguyen Van Thang welcomed Bybit’s proactive approach and assigned the State Securities Commission to coordinate with Bybit on concrete proposals. He also commended Bybit’s reputation for strong financial capabilities, technological resilience, and its adherence to legal and regulatory requirements in the markets where it operates.
This meeting underscores Bybit’s growing role as a trusted international partner for regulatory dialogue and innovation. It also highlights Vietnam’s readiness to embrace blockchain technology while ensuring financial safety and public confidence in the digital asset space.
About Bybit
Bybit is the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, serving a global community of over 60 million users. Founded in 2018, Bybit is redefining openness in the decentralized world by creating a simpler, open and equal ecosystem for everyone. With a strong focus on Web3, Bybit partners strategically with leading blockchain protocols to provide robust infrastructure and drive on-chain innovation. Renowned for its secure custody, diverse marketplaces, intuitive user experience, and advanced blockchain tools, Bybit bridges the gap between TradFi and DeFi, empowering builders, creators, and enthusiasts to unlock the full potential of Web3. Discover the future of decentralized finance at Bybit.com.
For more details about Bybit, please visit Bybit Press.
For media inquiries, please contact: [email protected]
For updates, please follow: Bybit’s Communities and Social Media
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DUBAI, UAE, April 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Bybit, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, is making waves with its latest trading showdown: Crypto Surf: Ride the Waves with Trailing Stops. This high-octane competition invites traders to rally behind either copy trading or trading bots, battling it out for their share of a prize pool worth up to $250,000 in USDT.
Running from April 18 to May 19, 2025, at 12 a.m. UTC, the event introduces a squad-based structure where users choose their camp, trade strategically, and compete across PnL, ROI and trading volume leaderboards. With a dynamic reward structure, participants can also win by predicting which squad will come out on top.
Prize Pool Distribution Highlights:
- 40% to the champion squad
- 30% to the runner-up
- 25% to the top 100 individual traders by volume
- 5% to users who correctly predict the winning squad
The event brings together the best of both worlds: the strategic finesse of copy trading and the automated power of trading bots. It celebrates innovation, user choice, and the thrill of crypto trading.
Participants must hold a minimum wallet balance of $1,000 in USDT, generate at least $10,000 in squad volume, and complete identity verification Level 1 to qualify. Users can only register for one squad and vote once to predict the winner. Rewards will be distributed within 14 business days of the event’s completion.
The total prize pool will scale in line with event volume milestones, starting at $1.2 billion and unlocking up to $2 billion in traded volume for the full $250,000 in USDT.
Bybit continues to redefine the competitive trading landscape – bringing fun, strategy and serious rewards to its global community.
#Bybit / #TheCryptoArk
About Bybit
Bybit is the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, serving a global community of over 60 million users. Founded in 2018, Bybit is redefining openness in the decentralized world by creating a simpler, open, and equal ecosystem for everyone. With a strong focus on Web3, Bybit partners strategically with leading blockchain protocols to provide robust infrastructure and drive on-chain innovation. Renowned for its secure custody, diverse marketplaces, intuitive user experience, and advanced blockchain tools, Bybit bridges the gap between TradFi and DeFi, empowering builders, creators, and enthusiasts to unlock the full potential of Web3. Discover the future of decentralized finance at Bybit.com.
For more details about Bybit, please visit Bybit Press
For media inquiries, please contact: [email protected]
For updates, please follow: Bybit’s Communities and Social Media
Discord | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Reddit | Telegram | TikTok | X | Youtube
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Blockchain Press Releases
Tomorrowland Brasil 2025 General Sale in Full Swing — Exclusive Cashback for Bybit Cardholders
DUBAI, UAE, April 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Bybit, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, highlights that general ticket sales for Tomorrowland Brasil 2025 are currently ongoing, with exclusive benefit available to Bybit Card and Bybit Pay eligible users such as 20% cashback.
The Bybit Card is designed for global use and supports both fiat currencies—ARS, BRL, EUR, USD—and a wide selection of cryptocurrencies. Integrated with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay, it offers users up to 10% cashback on everyday purchases, 8% APR through Auto-Savings, free worldwide delivery, and $100 in monthly ATM withdrawals at no cost—without any annual fees.
Returning to the vibrant setting of Parque Maeda in Itu, São Paulo, Tomorrowland Brasil 2025 will take place from October 12 to 14, promising three days of music, imagination, and cultural exchange. Famed for its theatrical stages, global audience, and meticulously curated lineup, Tomorrowland is more than a festival—it’s a world of its own. With each edition, it transforms into a breathtaking playground of light, sound, and storytelling, drawing music lovers from over 100 countries to celebrate unity through electronic music.
This year’s Brazilian edition will feature performances from some of the world’s most sought-after artists, including David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, Vintage Culture, Mind Against, Steve Aoki, James Hype, Alesso, Nervo, and I Hate Models. Special acts include Alok’s “Something Else” concept, ANNA b2b Vintage Culture, and a powerful b2b set from Matisse & Sadko and Third Party. With more names still to be revealed, the event is shaping up to be one of the strongest editions yet.
“Tomorrowland Brasil is one of those rare experiences that transcends music—it creates lasting memories and connects people from every walk of life,” said Joan Han, Head of Payment business unit at Bybit. “We’re proud to support this global celebration by offering our users exclusive benefits that make it easier to be part of something truly unforgettable.”
Tomorrowland Brasil continues to be a beacon of creativity, community, and connection, standing at the intersection of music, technology, and art.
#Bybit / #TheCryptoArk
About Bybit
Bybit is the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, serving a global community of over 60 million users. Founded in 2018, Bybit is redefining openness in the decentralized world by creating a simpler, open and equal ecosystem for everyone. With a strong focus on Web3, Bybit partners strategically with leading blockchain protocols to provide robust infrastructure and drive on-chain innovation. Renowned for its secure custody, diverse marketplaces, intuitive user experience, and advanced blockchain tools, Bybit bridges the gap between TradFi and DeFi, empowering builders, creators, and enthusiasts to unlock the full potential of Web3. Discover the future of decentralized finance at Bybit.com.
For more details about Bybit, please visit Bybit Press
For media inquiries, please contact: [email protected]
For updates, please follow: Bybit’s Communities and Social Media
Discord | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Reddit | Telegram | TikTok | X | Youtube
About TOMORROWLAND BRASIL
Tomorrowland Brasil 2025 will take place on October 10-12 in the beautiful festival area of Parque Maeda in Itu, a municipality in São Paulo. The festival will revolve around the mesmerizing ‘LIFE’ theme, set against the backdrop of Brazil’s enchanting natural beauty. A story set in the mythical realm of Silvyra, it’s a world unto its own, filled with creatures, plant life, and people living in harmony, each with their own stories, with the diversity of Silvyra’s lush nature represented in the spectacular ‘LIFE’ Mainstage. Offering the ultimate escape from the city during three days of bliss, guests will be treated to breathtaking performances by more than 150 of the world’s finest electronic artists across 6 mesmerizing stages.
The first two festival editions of Tomorrowland Brasil took place in 2015 and 2016 in the beautiful festival area of Parque Maeda in Itu, São Paulo. After years of dreaming of a return, Tomorrowland finally headed back to Brazil in 2023, becoming a yearly highlight once again.
Tomorrowland Brasil 2025
October 10-12, 2025
Parque Maeda, Itu
brasil.tomorrowland.com
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