The Future of Iran's Internet Is More Uncertain Than Ever

"Iranians were plunged into internet darkness almost immediately after US and Israeli missiles hit the country on February 28, killing the country's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Since then, says Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at monitoring firm Kentik, there has been 'minimal traffic' leaving the country, with all networks seeing around 99 percent drops in traffic."

"In these situations, and by the regime's design, the populace still has access to the country's homegrown intranet and suite of applications, known as the National Information Network or NIN, so daily life can continue. Iranians have by now also built and refined a playbook for staying online as much as possible when the Iranian regime restricts connectivity, using VPNs and other proxy networks."

"The understanding is that there is some whitelisting allowing that [remaining] traffic to pass, either for an individual with favored status or for some technical rationale like updating encryption certificates. Only the Iranian government, military, and wealthy elites currently have access to the outside internet, along with a small group of additional gateways that get internet access from Starlink terminals."

Iran implemented a comprehensive internet blackout lasting over six days following military strikes by the US and Israel on February 28 that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. This shutdown represents the second total blackout in recent months, following January's similar action during anti-government protests. While the general population can access Iran's domestic National Information Network (NIN), they cannot reach the global internet. The regime maintains selective connectivity through whitelisting for government officials, military personnel, and wealthy elites, with approximately 99 percent drops in outbound traffic. Iranians typically use VPNs and proxy networks to circumvent restrictions, but these tools are ineffective during total blackouts. Only government entities and a small group with Starlink terminal access retain reliable outside internet connectivity.

Read at WIRED