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The nation has shut down the internet in various regions 20 times in the first five months of this year, according to a report from Human Rights Watch. Four of those blackouts have taken place this month, all in states where violent protests took place.

That represents a dramatic uptick from last year, when 31 shutdowns were recorded in total, and an even greater increase since 2012 -- which saw only three shutdowns.

The Indian government did not respond to a request for comment on the report, but has argued in the past that restricting access is sometimes necessary to prevent social media rumors from fueling violence.

Related: Can Theresa May use tech to stop terror attacks?

The disputed and conflict-ridden region of Kashmir, for example, has seen 33 shutdowns in five years.

"The lack of transparency and failure to explain these shutdowns only furthers the perception that they are meant to suppress nonviolent reporting and criticism of the government," said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director for Human Rights Watch.

While the Indian government doesn't have its own internet-blocking apparatus like China's "Great Firewall," it can order service providers to go offline. That power stems from a law written in 1973, which allows the government to impose various restrictions on the public to prevent everything from riots to "obstruction, annoyance or injury."

Related: A huge wave of new users is killing 4G speeds in India

India, which is often referred to as the world's largest democracy, has been called out for online censorship before.

A 2016 survey of internet freedom in 65 countries by U.S.-based think tank Freedom House gave India a score of 41. China, with a score of 88, came last. Estonia performed best with a score of 6.

In another report by the Brookings Institution last year, India tied for first place with Iraq for the highest number of internet shutdowns among 19 countries (including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Syria and North Korea).

Facebook also ranks the Indian government among the top countries asking it to censor content. The social media giant said in its latest Government Requests Report that India ordered 719 pieces of content to be restricted, lower only than Brazil, Turkey and Germany.

India topped Facebook's list for two straight years up to June 2015.

CNNMoney (New Delhi) First published June 16, 2017: 10:13 AM ET

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Internet censorship in India is on the rise - CNNMoney

A New Jersey high school yearbook adviser has been suspended amid an investigation into censorship allegations overphotos and a quotation that were altered to remove references to President Trump, according to news reports.

Three students at Wall High School in central New Jersey noticed the changes in their yearbooks late last week, and their parents have since been calling for action.

Wall Township public schoolsSuperintendent Cheryl Dyer said last weekthat the district learned aboutan allegation of censorship and the possible violation of First Amendment rights and was investigating the matter. She told USA Todaylate Monday that the teacher, whom she would not name,was suspended pending further disciplinary action. NJ.com reported that the teacher has been suspendedindefinitely with pay while the district investigates the allegations.

Dyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the suspension. Its still unclear what role the teacher may have played in the yearbook alterations.

[Parents outraged after pro-Trump messages were edited out of this high schools yearbooks]

On picture day in October, one student,juniorWyatt Dobrovich-Fago, had worn a fleece vest with a Trump campaign logo, but it appeared to be cropped out in the yearbook. His sister, Montana, who was freshman-class president, was missing a Trump quote that was meant to appear beneath her photo. I like thinking big. If you are going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big, itread,according to CNN.

But perhaps the most blatant edit was to17-year-oldGrant BerardosTRUMP Make America Great Again! T-shirt, which was apparently altered in his yearbook photo to removethe Republican presidential nominees campaign slogan. In the yearbook, the high school junior appeared to be wearing a plain and simple, dark-colored T-shirt.

Grants father,Joseph Berardo, said in a Facebook post Monday night that he had met with the school administration earlier in the day and was informed that the teacher had been suspended.

There was a lapse in judgement and mistakes were made. I suspect there will be meaningful consequences, Berardo wrote.

I refuse to be censored although my son was, he added. Issues like these are too important to look the other way. HOWEVER, if we agree to talk instead of shout, I believe we can always find common ground.

Berardo earlier told The Washington Post that school pictures were sent home to the studentsfamilies after the electionand that there did not seem to be any issue with Grants portrait.

In fact, he said, Grants picturewasused as hisschool identificationphoto.

He was just really surprised; it was the first election he ever took an interest in, he said of his son. His question was, Is it okay? Did someone do something here that they shouldnt have done? Thats why Im pursuing it.He said he wants his son to understand that althoughthese are your teachers and administrators, there are still things youre permitted to do throughthe Constitution.

Dyer, the superintendent, previouslysaid in a statement, Two parents have notified the school district of ways in which the attire of their children was altered in yearbook photos. Further, there are claims that comments or quotes offered for inclusion in the yearbook were not published. References to and support of President Trump were involved in each of these incidents.

There is nothing in Wall Township High Schools student dress code that would prevent a student from expressing his or her political views, or support for a political figure, via appropriate clothing and attire, she said. Indeed, the administration applauds students for becoming involved in politics, making their voices known, and taking an active part in our democracy.

The district has not identified the suspended adviser, but Berardo said it was Susan Parsons, who has worked for the district for 15 years, according to her course website. Thecourse sitestates that Parsons oversees Yearbook 1, 2 and 3, as well as other technology courses such as digital media, Web page design, computer repair and digital animation and gaming.

Parsons could not immediately be reached Tuesday for comment and an email sent to her schoolemail address came back as undeliverable. But she told the New York Post, We have never made any action against any political party.

Shewould not say who made the edits, according to the New York Post.

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Adviser suspended after pro-Trump messages were edited out of high school yearbooks - Washington Post

Sandusky Register

Larry D. Zimmerman Sandusky Register Larry is survived by his wife, the former Jerri Korenke, to whom he was married for 30 years; his father, George Zimmerman of Vermilion; three daughters, Angela (Tim) Everson of Castalia, Heather (Jeffery) Turner of Bellevue and Toni (Rob Hendricks ...

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Larry D. Zimmerman - Sandusky Register

What a year its been. In Part One of this article I covered about a half dozen of the events and news making stories of 2013, such as the Boston Marathon Bombing, the unsteady and continual disappointment of Obamacare, and the official welcoming into the Vatican of the new Pope, Pope Francis, the 266th Pope. Well, that was only half the story. Read on, and realize that you have witnessed some very powerful, tragic, uplifting and historic events. Lets ring in 2014 on a positive note!

The Death Of Nelson Mandela Weve lost one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth, President Barack Obama said following the Dec. 5 death of former South African prisoner-turned-president Nelson Mandela. Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years after trying to challenge the countrys apartheid government. He was finally released from prison on Feb. 11, 1990, vowing to help change South Africa. About 4 years later, Nelson Mandela became South Africas first black president, serving from 1994 to 1999. The 95-year-old leader was known to many as a freedom fighter and compassionate man that fought for the rights for all races.

Failure of the Gun Control Bill. The massacre of 20 students and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., last December brought the issue of gun control to the forefront of the United States as Americans took sides between gun control and gun advocacy. This attack and other incidents led President Barack Obama to call for gun control legislation that would, if enacted, lead to more rigorous and stringent background checks for purchasing guns and firearms, particularly online and at gun shows. In April, the Senate defeated a bipartisan background check measure in a 54-46 vote. Obama referred to the decision as a pretty shameful day for Washington.

George Zimmerman Trial - On July 13, neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges that had been brought against him following an altercation that resulted in the 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Though many experts were not surprised by the verdict, all the same it sparked protests and vigils throughout the country, and opened up national discourse on issues ranging from racial profiling to Floridas Stand Your Ground statute. Since the verdict, Zimmerman has not been able to stay out of the spotlight. In September, he was accused by his estranged wife Shellie Zimmerman of smashing an iPad at their home. And just last month, George Zimmermans current girlfriend accused him of pointing a shotgun at her face and throwing her out of her house. Zimmerman was not charged.

The Miracle in Cincinnati Help me. Im Amanda Berry. It was the first time Berrys voice was heard in a decade after she called 911 in May when she, along with Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus, escaped from the house of Ariel Castro. The three girls were held captive for a decade after being kidnapped by Castro, a former school bus driver. To say their lives were a living hell is an understatement, after authorities found chains where Castro kept them. Shortly after being sentenced to life in prison, Castro took his own life in his cell

And on a positive note, all the world waited for the birth of Prince George of Cambridge, son of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Just recently the couple brought their son to his Christening at Chapel Royal in St Jamess Palace in central London. Just a few months before, the world watched on in awe and anticipation for the birth of the future king of England and finally, on July 22, Prince William and Princess Kates royal baby, George Alexander Louis, was born. Paparazzi met Kate and William outside the day they left St. Marys Hospital to show the world their son. William didnt even hire a driver to leave the hospital, but drove his wife and their newest addition home. The little prince is now third in line to the throne.

As we say farewell to 2013, we all have our own personal memories, goals that were met, dear friends passing away, and the world around us changing every day. But we made it through 2013, and we forward, in anticipation, to 2014. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all!

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Top News Stories of 2013, an Historic, Tumultuous Year. Part Two - The Sarasota Post (blog)

A legal organization that advocates for constitutional freedom is watching a 4th Amendment case currently being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The case is Carpenter v. The United States, which reached the court from the 6th U.S. Court of Appeals.

The case involves a gang of armed robbers who were tracked by authorities after one of the robbers confessed to the crime and gave up his cell phone number and the numbers of his accomplices.Using cell phone data, authorities analyzed the usage history to trace their movements for 127 days, a Washington Post story explained.

Curt Levey of the Committee for Justice says long before cell phones came into being, court rulings would suggest the police can monitor phone movements. That doesn't apply now, he insists.

I think that would be a very bad interpretation when applied to today's technology, says Levey, because the government might as well put a GPS device on your car and the Supreme Court has said the government can't do that without a warrant.

In the Washington Post story, criminal law professor Orin Kerr summarized the two questions presented to the high court:

I gather, then, that the case will consider two distinct questions. First, is the collection of the records a Fourth Amendment search? And second, if it is a search, is it a search that requires a warrant?

The government argues cell phone owners opt in to third-party police access when they sign a contract with the company. Most of the data came from provider MetroPCS while some "roaming" data came from Sprint.

But Levey doesn't agree.

You're really not consenting to anything when you use it, he says, and to say that by using a cell phone you have to give up all your Fourth Amendment rights, it would result in a government too powerful and too intrusive for my taste, and I think the taste of most Americans.

In taking up the case, he adds, the Supreme Court can update old rulings based on modern technology and determine whether police can have access to the information without a warrant or not.

Kerr described the SCOTUS review as a "momentous development" because the future of surveillance law hinges on the coming ruling.

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SCOTUS reviews 4th Amendment vs. surveillance case - OneNewsNow