Internet Shutdowns

• Past

  Regional shutdown

  Kurdistan Province

  An Internet shutdown occurred in the Kurdistan Province of Iran from around 12:00 to 14:30 local time. Reports indicate this coincided with the Iranian President's visit to the province. It's been over a year since the death of a young woman in police custody sparked protests across the country. Iranians in Kurdish cities have since faced periodic Internet disruptions, service blocking, and total shutdowns to 'quell' such protests or chances of protest. As we repeatedly write about on Pulse, Internet shutdowns harm a country’s economy and society.

  Iran

  • Start 2 November 2023 12:00 p.m.
  • End 2 November 2023 2:30 p.m.
  • Total Duration 2 hours

September 2023

• Past

  National shutdown

  Authorities in Iran is imposing Internet shutdowns in the Sistan and Baluchistan region on 29 September 2023. We have repeatedly written about Internet shutdowns in Iran on Pulse. Internet shutdowns cause great harm to a country’s economy and society.

  Iran

  • Start 29 September 2023 7:00 a.m.
  • End 29 September 2023 10:00 a.m.
  • Total Duration 3 hours

March 2023

• Past

  Regional shutdown

  Sistan and Baluchestan

  Internet connectivity was suspended in the Sistan and Baluchestan regions of Iran on Friday, 31 March. This follows similar shutdowns that have happened each Friday since xxx and reportedly coincide with Friday prayers and protests held at the same time. Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact citizens' ability to get accurate information from government sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country or other countries.

  Iran

  • Start 31 March 2023 7:30 a.m.
  • End 31 March 2023 10:30 a.m.
  • Total Duration 3 hours

January 2023

• Past

  Regional shutdown

  Internet services were suspended in several regions in Iran on 19 January. Reports later determined that the Internet had been deliberately suspended to allow the questions of the national University entrance exams to be distributed. The #KeepItOn coalition, of which the Internet Society is a member, urges authorities to abstain from implementing Internet shutdowns during exams, noting a lack of evidence demonstrating their impact on exam cheating.

  Iran

  • Start 19 January 2023 4:30 a.m.
  • End 19 January 2023 8:00 a.m.
  • Total Duration 3 hours

December 2022

• Past

  Regional shutdown

  Kordestan

  Internet services were suspended in Kurdistan Province in Iran since the beginning of the #IranProtest from 17/12/2022 to 21/12/2022. Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact the ability of citizens to get accurate information from government sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country, or in other countries.

  Iran

  • Start 17 December 2022 9:00 p.m.
  • End 21 December 2022 4:45 a.m.
  • Total Duration 3 days, 7 hours

October 2022

• Past

  Regional shutdown

  Kordestan

  Authorities shut down the Internet throughout Kurdish-majority cities and towns in Iran’s western provinces following further anti-government protests. The shutdown lasted 22 hours.Iranians have faced a wave of Internet disruptions, service blocking and total shutdowns since September 2022, following the death of a young woman in police custody which sparked protests across the country. Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact the ability of citizens to get accurate information from government sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country, or in other countries.

  Iran

  • Start 26 October 2022 7:00 a.m.
  • End 27 October 2022 5:00 a.m.
  • Total Duration 22 hours

September 2022

• Past

  Regional shutdown

  Sistan and Baluchestan

  Iran

  • Start 30 September 2022 12:00 p.m.
  • End 10 October 2022 12:00 a.m.
  • Total Duration 16 days, 12 hours
• Past

  National shutdown

  Iranians experienced multiple Internet disruptions over a 12-day period in September 2022, following the death of a young woman in police custody, which sparked protests across the country. Starting on 21 September, wide-scale disruptions were observed on mobile Internet providers’ networks with shutdowns occurring daily from noon to well into the evening.Access to a range of services and applications were blocked, including communication services WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Skype, and Instagram. Access to the Google Play Store and Apple App Store was limited in an attempt to hinder people from downloading Virtual Private Network (VPN) apps, which can help users circumvent blocking.The Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI), which monitors global Internet censorship, reported an increase in incidents of blocking of DNS over HTTPS (DoH). DoH enables Internet users to bypass Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and government-controlled domain name services, helping them to avoid simple forms of blocking so they can stay online. Iranian officials stated that access to the Internet would be restricted until protests ceased.

  Iran

  • Start 21 September 2022 3:50 p.m.
  • End 3 October 2022 8:30 p.m.
  • Total Duration 19 days, 4 hours
• Ongoing

  Service blocking

  DoH, WhatsApp, Instagram, Google Play Store, Apple App Store, Skype, LinkedIn

  Multiple Internet services have been blocked in Iran since 2022, including Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, WhatsApp, X, and YouTube.

  Iran

  • Start 20 September 2022 12:00 a.m.
  • End Ongoing
  • Total Duration 983 days, 5 hours
• Past

  Regional shutdown

  Kordestan

  Internet services in Iran's northwestern Kurdish region were suspended as the government tried to quell protests following the death of a young woman in police custody. This three hour regional outage on Monday, 19 September comes after disrupted services in Tehran and other cities since protests began on 16 September. Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact the ability of citizens to get accurate information from government sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country, or in other countries. See all shutdown events related to these protests.

  Iran

  • Start 19 September 2022 4:20 p.m.
  • End 19 September 2022 7:35 p.m.
  • Total Duration 3 hours