Iran's internet shutdown is now one of its longest ever, as protests continue | TechCrunch

"As of Thursday, 92 million Iranians have been completely blocked from accessing the internet for more than a week, in what is now one of the longest nationwide internet shutdowns ever, according to experts. Last Thursday, Iran's leadership blocked internet and phone access across the whole country in response to massive anti-government protests, which began at the end of last year and have prompted a brutal and deadly crackdown from authorities."

"Mater said that the current shutdown in Iran is the third longest on record, after the internet shutdown in Sudan in mid-2021 that lasted around 35 days, followed by the outage in Mauritania in July 2024, which lasted 22 days. "Iran's shutdowns remain among the most comprehensive and tightly enforced nationwide blackouts we've observed, particularly in terms of population affected," Mater told TechCrunch."

"Zach Rosson, a researcher who studies internet disruptions at the digital rights nonprofit AccessNow, told TechCrunch that according to its data, the ongoing shutdown in Iran is on a path to crack the top ten longest shutdowns in history. Iran's government has a long track record of shutting down access to the internet at times of protest and civil unrest, often making it more difficult to monitor the protests from outside of the country."

Nationwide internet and phone access in Iran was blocked last Thursday, leaving 92 million people offline for more than 170 hours. The shutdown was imposed in response to massive anti-government protests that began at the end of last year and have prompted a violent government crackdown. NetBlocks research director Isik Mater said the outage is the third-longest on record, following Sudan in 2021 and Mauritania in 2024, and characterized Iranian shutdowns as comprehensive and tightly enforced. AccessNow researchers say the outage could enter the top ten longest globally. Human rights groups estimate over 600 protests and at least 2,000 deaths during the crackdown.

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