National shutdown
Iraqi authorities ordered Internet services to be suspended on the morning of 22 May 2025 between 6:00 and 8:00 local time (+3 UTC). This national shutdown is the second in an expected series during the middle school exams, which last until 4 June.
- Total Duration 2 hours
Iraq
- Population
- 45,074,049
Freedom House rates Internet freedom as Partly Free
Local impact
The shutdown follows an announcement by Iraq's Ministry of Communication on 19 May 2025 stating that they will enact the Ministry of Education's request to suspend Internet services on exam days as part of its efforts to prevent cheating.
This national shutdown is the second in an expected series during the middle school exams, which last until 4 June.
Iraqi officials have ordered more than 80 Internet shutdowns over the past two years, all of which were related to exams either in wider Iraq or in the Kurdistan region.
Related documentation
A screenshot of an announcement on the Ministry of Communications website on 19 May 2025 regarding planned Internet shutdowns related to exam period.
Below is a screenshot of the Iraq Middle School exam schedule happening from 22 May to 4 June 2025.
Based on the exam schedules below, we except further disruptions daily until 4 June.
Other supporting information
Cloudflare Radar and IODA recorded drops in Internet traffic on 20 May 2025 from 3:00 UTC (6:00 local time) to 5:00 UTC (8:00 local time).
