Tehran, Iran – The internet monitoring organization Netblocks announced that the nationwide internet blackout in Iran had entered its 6:36 AM on Saturday, January 10. This situation has severely limited citizens’ ability to communicate and check on the well-being of their loved ones amidst ongoing anti-government protests.
The nationwide internet blackout came after protests intensified on the evening of Thursday, January 8. Iranian authorities completely cut off internet and other communication lines. This occurred despite the already significant decrease in internet speed and quality in many areas. Netblocks reported, “It is now 8:00 AM in Iran, and the sun is rising after another night of protests met with repression; data indicates that the nationwide internet blackout is severely limiting Iranians’ ability to know the safety of their friends and loved ones.”
Despite the internet shutdown and widespread repression, the streets of many cities, including parts of Tehran, saw a large turnout of protesters on the night of Friday, January 9. This came in response to a call from Prince Reza Pahlavi, reflecting the continuation of the protests despite severe restrictions on communication.
The November 2019 protests saw internet outages lasting approximately ten days. While internet users via Starlink were able to share images and reports from the protests, this helped document the events despite heavy censorship. Human rights organizations warned that continued internet shutdowns hindered independent reporting on the crackdown and raised concerns about potential killings of protesters.
