Israeli army attacks cause near-total collapse of internet in Iran, sparking concerns over censorship

Leading internet activity monitor NetBlocks announced on Wednesday that Iran is now experiencing a near-total collapse of internet activity, which they linked to ongoing Israeli army attacks and Iranian authorities' response to them.

The monitor cited live data from several areas, which showed significant disconnection across the country, which they said meant that internet access had become largely inaccessible.

Israel’s ongoing strikes on the country are now in their eighth day. Since Israel struck Iran last week, at least 639 people have been killed, while tens of thousands have been forced to flee their homes in Tehran and other cities.

NetBlocks said current internet activity in Iran has declined to just three percent, rendering it unusable.

The monitor said that the decline in connectivity was related to partial disruptions over the last week, associated with the Israeli army’s attacks inside the country as well as Iranian authorities shutting down the internet due to Israel’s "misuse" of the network for military purposes.

"The ongoing blackout incident is the most severe tracked since the November 2019 protests and impacts the public's ability to stay connected at a time when communications are vital," a statement from NetBlocks read, referring to a time when Iranian authorities shut down the internet in response to widespread anti-government protests.

Control of information

Felicia Anthonio, the #KeepItOn campaign manager at Access Now, a digital rights group, told The New Arab that the blackout has been directly imposed by authorities in Iran to exert control over the flow of information in and outside of the country.

"In times of crisis, governments tend to restrict access to the internet and digital platforms to control the narrative under the guise of curbing the spread of misinformation, or in this case, to prevent cyberattacks, as indicated by a government spokesperson," Anthonio explained. 

"However, our monitoring has shown over and over that imposing shutdowns amplifies the spread of misinformation and restricts people’s access to lifesaving information, further endangering lives," she added.

The campaign manager explained that internet shutdowns violate human rights and disrupt all access of people's lives, emotionally, economically, financially, and politically. 

"Internet shutdowns isolate people from the rest of the world. For Iranians in the diaspora, they are completely cut off from what is happening in their homeland. In times of crisis, access to information is a lifeline, essential for people’s safety and survival, and an avenue for them to access critical humanitarian or emergency services," she continued.

The near-total shutdown has meant that people have limited options to work around the blackout; however, some reports indicate that people are relying on E-sims from Turkey and the UAE. 

The disruptions mean that the official news agency of the country, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), has also been forced to go offline, despite being critical in carrying messages and vital information.

For nearly all users, the website displayed an error message when any attempt was made to access it.

Concerns over limiting spread of information 

The internet crash is being investigated by cybersecurity and communications experts around the world, as concerns have been raised over the limiting of the spread of information or allowing for military operations without them being revealed to the public in real time.

The blackout has extended to cell providers too, while Iranian news agency Khabar posted a statement on its Telegram channel stating that international internet access in the country had been "temporarily restricted to prevent enemy abuse," citing the ministry of communications.

This comes just days after Iran reportedly told officials to halt the use of internet-connected devices and instructed citizens that they should delete WhatsApp from their phones.

Some government officials have reiterated that the international internet blackout is to prevent potential cyberattacks.

However, the crackdown and disruptions have left Iranian citizens panicked and with very limited information on the latest developments in the country, as well as difficulty communicating with family and loved ones during the unprecedented Israeli attack.

Some reports noted that the shutdown of internet services came at the height of the conflict, when US President Donald Trump ominously informed residents of Tehran that they should "immediately evacuate" the city, which has a population of over 10 million.