Keep you in the dark

Finally I could watch the sunrise from my window seat and then the window blacked out for 4 hours. I was unable to to lighten it as the controller beside me was disabled until 10am. Is this some new form of crowd control akin to battery hens where day and night is totally controlled? Think I have a right to look out of my window seat if I so choose.

International
Thailand-Phuket
Australia-Sydney