Iranian government shuts down nearly all internet access in response to fuel hike protests

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The rising gasoline prices in Iran have seen the people of the country take to the streets in protest. Amid the widespread demonstrations, Iranians started experiencing internet slowdowns in the last few days. The final step was taken on Saturday (November 16), when the government shutdown nearly all internet access in the country.

NetBlocks, an NGO that monitors internet governance and cybersecurity around the world, reported a near-total internet and mobile data blackout.

Confirmed: #Iran is now in the midst of a near-total national internet shutdown; realtime network data show connectivity at 7% of ordinary levels after twelve hours of progressive network disconnections as public protests continue #IranProtests

While tweets have still been coming in from Twitter users, they have primarily been regarding the protest and without specific “messaging against the authorities". Although there are still some pockets of access that allow dissenters to show events unfolding on the ground that are quite rare.

The only means of communication for people are phone calls. However, there are reports of those being closely monitored. The government is yet to formally acknowledge the internet shutdown.

With the initiation of a nation-wide internet blackout, Iran is attempting to control the protests as well as the world’s impression of events transpiring in the nation.

The move will not only help the government to deter protesters and prevent widespread gatherings that pose a threat to its rule but will also make it harder for people to illustrate the scope of the protests and share news.