Internet disrupted in Iran amid protests over death of Mahsa Amini
Network data from NetBlocks confirm a near-total disruption disruption to internet service in parts of Kurdistan province in west Iran from the evening of Monday 19 September 2022. The regional telecommunications blackout in and around Sanandaj follows a partial disruption to internet service in Tehran and other parts of the country on Friday when protests first broke out. Access to Instagram was subsequently restricted nationally on Wednesday 21 September.
The incidents come amid widening protests against the government after the death of Mahsa Amini from Saqqez in Kurdistan province after her arrest by Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating Iran’s strict hijab headscarf rules.
Observable connectivity was restored some 3.5 hours after the disruption came into place in Iran’s Kurdistan region, amid reports of at least four protesters killed by authorities. Users have also reported the disconnection or severe slowing of internet service in multiple cities since the first disruption was registered on Friday 16 September 2022. The network disruptions are likely to severely limit the public’s ability to express political discontent and communicate freely.
This class of internet disruption affects connectivity at the network layer and cannot generally be worked around with the use of circumvention software or VPNs.
Access to Instagram, one of the last remaining social media platforms in Iran, was restricted across all major internet providers on Wednesday 21 September 2022. Other platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have been banned for several years:
NetBlocks recommends against the use of network disruptions to counter protests, given their disproportionate impact to fundamental rights including freedom of expression and freedom assembly.
Recent internet shutdowns and disruptions in Iran
Iran has faced a series of network disruptions in recent years, with some attributed to external factors, and others to state information controls or targeted internet shutdowns. NetBlocks investigations have helped identify the root causes of these network outages.
Notably, in November 2019 Iran shut down internet access nationally amid widespread public protests that were met with deadly force by authorities. In that instance, users gradually regained access as connectivity was selectively brought back after a week of near-total outages.
