Amid Iran’s ongoing internet blackout, a government spokesman announced the state’s new policy: unrestricted internet access will only be granted to those who spread the government’s narrative. Meanwhile, those who oppose the state are left in the dark, formalizing what Iranians describe as a system of internet apartheid. While pro-government influencers are granted unrestricted connectivity so that they can promote the state’s image abroad as a bastion of anti-imperial resistance, ordinary citizens face near total digital isolation. This leaves many people outside the country unable to get updates on their loved ones living under relentless US and Israeli bombardment.
‘Iran’s two-tier internet system is a sinister spin-off of traditional shutdowns,’ says Marwa Fatafta of digital rights group Access Now. ‘It enables authorities to impose nationwide communication blackouts without the usual inconvenience of economic or administrative disruptions. So the state and its inner circle remain fully connected, while the broader population is left isolated and censored. Perhaps its most alarming consequence is the risk of turning temporary shutdowns into a normalized, permanent condition.’
