Internet shutdown in Iran is in its 46th day.👀
While only a fraction of normal traffic levels, the volume of whitelisted traffic has been slowly growing in the past month as the IR govt expands its program of selectively authorizing access to certain individuals and companies.
Posts by Amir Rashidi
UPDATE: Iran Internet shutdown
Continuing to see a small, but steady restoration for Iran as the country rolls out its internet whitelisting system to police connectivity.
#DigitalBlackoutIran #IranianRevolution2026
From our perspective, traffic is at ~25% of pre-shutdown levels (bits/sec).
IODA's Telescope signal shows signs of sustained, partial recovery since ~7:30 PM Jan 24th. This is the first sign of sustained recovery of Telescope, which measures unsolicited Internet traffic rom Iran to the global Internet since the shutdown began.
ioda.inetintel.cc.gatech.edu/country/IR?f...
designed for exactly this kind of situation, and it manifests itself in the form of the white SIM card.
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classes required using a domestic social network.
Not to mention the partial acceptance within segments of civil society of the so-called “white SIM card,” which again indicates a degree of readiness to accept these conditions. Tiered (class-based) internet is essentially
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It is important to note that for years the IR has tried to embed these tools into everyday life. For example, for enrollment in some universities, you are required to have a domestic messaging app. Or during the COVID lockdowns, attending
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At this point, it is worth recalling a trend we observed during internet shutdowns amid the war with Israel: many Iranians migrated to alternative tools and platforms. This shows that under pressure, and in the absence of foreign services, such migration could happen again.
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3. Social networks: the users of these businesses are also inside Iran, not abroad. The main challenge would be the platform itself. For years, alternative domestic platforms have been built, but they have lacked users largely due to public disinterest.
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since their user base is entirely inside the country.
2. ISPs will likely move toward the brink of bankruptcy due to the lack of sufficient international traffic. As a result, we would see a sharp increase in the price of domestic traffic to compensate for these losses.
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Let me explain why this could realistically be implemented:
1. A portion of people’s needs are service-based platforms—such as online shopping, ride, and streaming. These services already have domestic customers and would not face major problems,
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Today Iran, tomorrow the world? @ammir.bsky.social warns #Iran is exporting its internet shutdown technology to other countries
More on #F24Debate ➡️ f24.my/BfuE
Irancell’s CEO was dismissed over delays in internet shutdowns. Doran & Yaftar are tasked with developing DPI to detect Starlink-connected VPNs. Mohammad Amin Aghamiri & Mehdi SeifAbadi are key decision-makers.
filter.watch/english/2026...
Iran has almost completely disconnected itself from the global internet. Just after 16:30 UTC today, traffic volume into the country began plummeting.
The country has been gripped by growing protests in recent days & the Iranian govt has been selectively blocking internet services. #IranProtests
Sudden drop in IPv6 traffic to Iran at 11:49 UTC today (Jan-8) as the country's govt continues to selectively block internet access in an effort to staunch a growing protest movement. #IranProtests
Our latest report exposes how Iran’s digital ecosystem has turned into a structured system of discrimination — and the recent events on X highlight just how deep this inequality goes.
filter.watch/english/2025...
IODA collaborated with @filter.watch and ASL19 to co-author a report on the 2025 shutdown of the Internet in Iran during the war with Israel. Key contributors included @radar.cloudflare.com @eldomador.bsky.social @ooni.org and more!
Access the report here: filter.watch/english/2025...
NEW: Apple notified several Iranians that they were targets of government spyware in the last year, according to security researchers.
Since 2021, Apple says it has notified people in 150 countries, but we don't always get to know which countries, so this is an interesting data point.
🔍This report underscores that digital security is no longer a purely technical concern—it’s a human rights crisis.
🔍Major social platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram were primary targets for phishing, impersonation, and account takedowns.
🔍Authorities increasingly used cyber tools for social control, seizing accounts for “violations” such as not wearing a hijab or defying Islamic lifestyle norms.
🔍Requests for digital security assistance soared:
+720% growth in individual requests
+70% in organizational requests (and +250% in minority and women’s rights sectors)
🔍Ethnic minorities—particularly in West and East Azerbaijan—saw a fivefold increase in targeted repression.
🔍Iranian activists abroad were targeted in countries including the UK, Germany, France, Slovenia, Austria, and Egypt.
🔍A surge in cyberattacks, phishing campaigns, and online censorship occurred during and after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.
Over 46% of digital security cases involved women, many of whom faced detention, torture, and even death sentences.
🔍For the first time, three Iranian individuals (two inside #Iran, one in Europe) were targeted by mercenary #spyware similar to #Pegasus—marking a shift from mass surveillance to targeted espionage.
Iran’s digital repression has entered an unprecedented phase.
According to the latest Iran Cyber #ThreatIntelligence Report by The Miaan Group, civil society in and outside Iran is facing a wave of increasingly advanced cyber threats.
miaan.org/wartime-cybe...
Key findings include:
#Iran is back online as of 05:00 UTC (8:30am local).
Iran Telecom Minister:
With conditions returning to normal, the state of communication access has reverted to its previous state.
x.com/HashemiSatta...
1/2 Iran imposed sweeping internet restrictions in the first week of Israel’s military offensive. key findings from Filterwatch’s report:
🔻Full internet shutdowns,including blocking SSH ports that helped maintain access🔻Incoming international traffic blocked a move not even seen in November 2019👇
Near-total Internet blackout in #Iran is continuing into a second day.
Iranian govt has confirmed it is intentional:
"In order to prevent the enemy’s misuse, international Internet access has been temporarily restricted."
t.me/khabaronline... (h/t @ammir.bsky.social)
NEW: Iran's government has now admitted it took down the internet in the country, arguing it was to protect against Israeli cyberattacks.
I spoke to two Iranians who live abroad and can't communicate with their loved ones back home.
"I haven’t heard from them in two days," said @ammir.bsky.social.
Following Israel's attack on #Iran, internet access has been disrupted in parts of the country. All #VPN services are disrupted, and access to the internet has become extremely difficult. Incoming traffic is heavily affected, while the NIN is operating without issues.
#KeepItOn