Iran shuts down social media and network over protests

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Following the death of Masha Amini, who was arrested in Tehran for allegedly wearing ‘unsuitable attire’ and improperly putting on her hijab headscarf, Iran has restricted major social media platforms.

According to residents and internet observer NetBlocks, the country has restricted access to Instagram and WhatsApp.

NetBlocks also reported a “national-scale loss of connectivity” on Iran’s main mobile phone provider’s and another company’s networks, knocking out millions of Iranians.

“Network data from NetBlocks confirm a near-total disruption disruption to internet service in parts of Kurdistan province in west Iran from the evening of Monday 19 September 2022.

“The regional telecommunications blackout in and around Sanandaj follows a partial disruption to internet service in Tehran and other parts of the country on Friday when protests first broke out.

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“Instagram and WhatsApp, two of the last remaining international platforms in Iran, have subsequently been restricted nationally as of Wednesday 21 September, followed by a nation-scale shutdown of mobile networks.

“Despite temporary restorations of mobile internet service since Thursday morning, online platforms have remained restricted and connectivity is intermittent for many users.

“Mobile internet was disrupted for a third day on Friday.

“The incidents come amid widening protests against the government after the death of Mahsa Amini from Saqqez in Kurdistan province after her arrest by Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating Iran’s strict hijab headscarf rules,” NetBlocks said via a statement.

NetBlocks, WhatsApp’s servers were disrupted on multiple internet providers just hours after Instagram’s services were blocked.

Citizens of Iran cannot send out videos and pictures of what is going on unless they have access to the internet.

Authorities claimed Masha Amini suffered a stroke and a heart attack while being held at the “guidance center” and died days later after being transferred to the hospital.

Her family denied the Iranian authorities’ claims, claiming she had no pre-existing condition.

Websites like TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook are routinely blocked in parts of the Islamic Region. However, tech-savvy residents frequently use virtual private networks (VPNs) to avoid the tolls.

According to Netblocks, this is the ‘most severe’ outage since the internet was shut down during the 2019 fuel protests.

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