Internet collapses across Iran amid protests
NetBlocks, Cloudflare and IODA recorded Iran going almost completely offline after protests over the economic crisis.
On January 8, internet connectivity collapsed across Iran amid nationwide protests over the economic crisis and the falling value of the currency.
What experts say
- Doug Madory of Kentik: a "near-total blackout" from about 8 p.m. Tehran time
- David Belson of Cloudflare: "the country is effectively completely offline"
- Amir Rashidi of Miaan Group: "I think we're at a near-total disconnection from the outside world now"
Rashidi says the government is behind the blackout. Iran's Foreign Ministry website was also down.
Monitoring
Internet monitors NetBlocks, Cloudflare Radar and IODA all recorded the drop. Cloudflare later said Iran's traffic had "effectively dropped to zero since January 8".
For the region
Iran borders the Kurdistan Region, and many people have family and business ties there. A blackout also cuts off calls and messages over WhatsApp and Telegram.
Founder and editor-in-chief of Kurd Developers. Phone and tech news on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
More stories
One text can break your phone: Android's 'SMS of Death' explained
A flaw in Android 12 and later lets a specially crafted SMS drop calls and even make a phone unusable. The fix is in October's security patch.
GTA VI lands November 19: prices, editions and what to know
Rockstar has locked the date: Thursday, November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Standard costs $79.99 and Ultimate $99.99.
Apple's first touchscreen MacBook Pro brings OLED and Dynamic Island
The new PROLED XDR display responds to touch, the notch is gone and Dynamic Island takes its place. Prices start at $2,899.
The $1,999 iPhone Duo Has a Black-Bar Problem, and Fixing It Is Harder Than It Looks
Apple's first foldable is a hardware flex. But unfold it and many of your apps shrink into a phone-shaped window floating in black. Here's why the app world wasn't ready, and why developers can't just hit "stretch".