PARIS: According to connection monitor Netblocks on Friday, Iran’s most recent internet outage has persisted for more than 14 days. According to Netblocks research chief Isik Mater, the restrictions on internet activity demonstrate that “this is a government-imposed measure” rather than the outcome of damage caused by US and Israeli bombings.
Raha Bahreini, an Amnesty International researcher on Iran, stated, “It is a purposeful shutdown imposed by the authorities to suppress the flow of information and prevent further dissent.” Information is still coming into and going out of Iran in the following ways.
During the January protests, Amsterdam-based organization Radio Zamaneh started shortwave broadcasts, broadcasting a nightly Farsi news program starting at 11 p.m. Tehran time. Because shortwave is a long-distance transmission, it is quite difficult for the regime to jam it, according to executive director Rieneke van Santen. “People can simply listen on a very inexpensive, compact, basic radio. It’s one of those common emergency backup options.”
Widely used services that encrypt Internet traffic, known as virtual private networks, are unable to establish an Internet connection in the absence of one. However, Mater noted that Iran’s connection is “still a large figure in absolute terms,” even at only 1% of normal levels.
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