To numb ongoing violent protests, the internet was shut down on January 5, which resulted in falling global computing power to mine Bitcoins.
Since September, the miners in Kazakhstan have been facing energy shortages as the country’s national energy production could not meet the demand of crypto miners. According to Netblocks, the internet shutdown is the ultimate kill switch for mining and is becoming increasingly popular.
Although the protests are fading, the region of Almaty is still experiencing violent protests. The President says that everything is fine when asked about the situation of crypto miners. According to Alan Dordzhiev, head of the Kazakh National Association of Blockchain and Data Center Industry, the issue is ‘almost’ resolved, and that most mining data centers are already back.
The world’s second-largest Bitcoin mining country saw a drop in hashrates amid the internet shutdown. Before the Chinese crackdown, Kazakhstan only accounted for 8% of the worldwide hash rate; today, it accounts for 18% of the world’s total hash rate. During the internet shut down, the country’s accountability with respect to hash rates dropped to 12.2%, as per data from BTC.com.
However, it isn’t easy to speculate how much time the internet will be allowed, allowing smooth minting. Alp Toker, the founder of Netblocks, said that such moments affect providers and regions at different times. Without continuous internet access, miners cannot work, and such internet on/off switches will only cater to human rights for namesake.
