"Those who can pay have been more able to get online because they can buy contraband services that are risky to provide. That can be a VPN which distributes internet connectivity from a Starlink terminal, or a user at the border with another country running a bridge network between the two, which are both banned and not great to be caught operating."
"Most of those who have retained access aren't the contraband users, or even the rich and famous, but rather the communications experts and state-aligned media who have been selected to deliver on-message framing to the outside world. That also includes visiting foreign journalists who are there by permission and unlikely to deviate too far from permitted narratives."
"Iran has a history of revoking internet access to citizens in times of crisis. It does so to both prevent information from leaving the country and to stop people from learning more about the situation than what the state is willing to share."
Iran implemented a comprehensive internet blackout beginning February 28, following US-Israel missile strikes, reducing connectivity from near 100 percent to approximately 0 percent. NetBlocks monitoring confirms the vast majority of the country remains offline. Limited access exists only for privileged users including state-aligned media, communications experts, and approved foreign journalists. Some wealthy individuals can access the internet through expensive, illegal contraband services like VPN-distributed Starlink terminals or cross-border bridge networks, though these carry significant legal risks. Iran historically uses internet shutdowns during crises to prevent information outflow and control domestic narratives, managing both metadata leaks and geolocation risks.
Read at Theregister
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]