Iran's Internet Blackout Continues Amid Reports Of Rising Death Toll

""Iran's Internet blackout continues into its third week, despite a brief momentary restoration," Netblocks, a digital rights watchdog and connectivity monitoring organization, said in a post on X on January 24. "Online platforms are occasionally whitelisted, and some users have been able to tunnel out [using VPNs or other circumvention tools] over the last couple of days," it added."

"The Fars news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), on January 24 quoted the chief of Iran's telecoms company as saying Internet service would be restored in the coming hours -- an action, it added, that was approved by the Supreme National Security Council. "God willing, this issue will be resolved today or tomorrow," Behzad Akbari, chief executive of the Telecommunications Infrastructure Company, was quoted by Fars as saying."

"Iran's near-total nationwide digital blackout -- ongoing since January 8 -- is thought to be one of the longest in history. Only Sudan's complete shutdown following its October 2021 coup, which lasted about 25 days, is known to have lasted longer. Human rights groups say Tehran's move to cut access to the Internet was intended to conceal human rights violations by Iran's security forces. Others add that the blackout has limited protesters' ability to organize and resist, while severely restricting the flow of news and making independent verification of information difficult."

Iran's near-total nationwide Internet blackout has entered its third week with only intermittent, partial restorations. Some online platforms have been occasionally whitelisted, and users have used VPNs and other circumvention tools to tunnel out. A state-aligned news agency reported a telecoms official saying services would be restored within hours with approval from the Supreme National Security Council. A government adviser urged restoration, warning that continued shutdown would fuel dissatisfaction and widen the gap between people and government. Human rights groups view the cutoff as intended to conceal rights violations, and the blackout has hindered protest organization and independent verification of information.

Read at RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty