{"id":1847,"date":"2019-11-19T04:20:26","date_gmt":"2019-11-19T04:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/en\/?p=1847"},"modified":"2020-06-02T15:29:56","modified_gmt":"2020-06-02T15:29:56","slug":"iran-shutdown-monitor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/2019\/11\/19\/iran-shutdown-monitor\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran Shutdown Monitor"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n

Welcome to Filterwatch\u2019s\u00a0Shutdown Monitor<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Iran is currently experiencing a near-complete internet shutdown that is preventing the vast majority of information from flowing into or out of the country. This shutdown has been imposed by authorities in response to a wave of protests that are sweeping the country, initially sparked by the sudden announcement of a significant increase in petrol prices.<\/p>\n

This blog will be updated daily with the latest developments relating to the ongoing shutdown and the ongoing protests. We will hope to highlight some of the most significant reporting being undertaken by journalists and digital rights activists at this time.<\/p>\n

We believe that it\u2019s crucial to find ways to end the ongoing internet shutdown in order to allow Iranian citizens and journalists to express themselves freely, and to document and disseminate evidence of ongoing human rights violations against protestors.<\/p>\n

We also believe that it is crucial to provide proper context around the political environment in which these current protests are taking place, in order to better understand how and why Iranian authorities are responding to these protests in the way that they do. Therefore, this blog will catalogue both the digital rights violations being imposed on citizens, and the key political events shaping the ongoing protests.<\/p>\n

We hope that we do not have to continue this blog for much longer, and that Iranians\u2019 connection to the outside world is restored immediately. However, we are prepared for this shutdown to continue, and will provide daily briefings on any fresh developments.<\/p>\n

We are committed to improving the depth and quality of our briefings, and to include as many voices as possible for as long as they are needed. If you have any updates or information that you feel should be included in future updates please email us at\u00a0contact@smallmedia.org.uk<\/a>\u00a0or send us a tweet at\u00a0@Small_Media<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Our team is also available to work with researchers, journalists, and campaigns committed to supporting the rights of Iranian citizens to express themselves freely, and to access information unimpeded.<\/p>\n

We will continue our work until these rights can be fully realised by all Iranian citizens.<\/p>\n

In solidarity,<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Small Media Team<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

We have been reporting on the near-total shutdown of the internet in Iran since the unrest began on Thursday 14 November. Over this past weekend, Iran has moved from a near-total internet shutdown to a partial shutdown situation. In reality, this means that many large cities and mobile operators are still disconnected from both the National Information Network and the global Internet. But the slow and patchy restoration of access has also meant that many human rights campaigners, journalists, and digital rights activists have gained greater, and near-real-time access to events across large parts of Iran.<\/p>\n

While internet connectivity in Iran has not returned to pre-shutdown levels (and concerns remain that it may stay this way), we believe the dedicated journalist covering the protests in Iran are now much better equipped to report in real-time on the protests, and on the levels of Internet connectivity. As a result, we are wrapping up our daily coverage of the protests and shutdown in the Shutdown Monitor blog.<\/p>\n

We will continue our monthly\u00a0Filterwatch\u00a0<\/em>publications here on Medium, and we would like to this opportunity to encourage you go to\u00a0filter.watch<\/a>\u00a0to sign up to the\u00a0Filterwatch\u00a0<\/em>mailing list, which will keep you in the loop on all of our latest analysis and commentary as it comes in the New Year.<\/p>\n

All of this work will be published on our brand new\u00a0filter.watch<\/a>\u00a0platform in January 2020, where all of our publications will be made available in both English and Persian.<\/p>\n

One point before we go: monitoring network connectivity has been crucial throughout this shutdown saga, and we extend our thanks and recognition to our friends at Netblocks for their excellent work in documenting this crisis. But at the same time, we would stress that many aspects of Iran\u2019s program of internet localisation cannot be captured or understood solely by focusing on connectivity.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s policies of promoting\u00a0domestic messaging apps<\/a>, its movement towards \u2018layered-filtering<\/a>\u2019 tied to national ID, and a whole host of\u00a0far-reaching social policies<\/a>\u00a0to discourage citizens\u2019 engagement with the global Internet are all crucial elements of Iran\u2019s long-term strategy for managing the threats it perceives as arising from the global Internet. Small Media will continue to document and explain the state\u2019s policy agenda in the coming months, and will highlight the emerging threats yet to come.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

As MTN Irancell starts to restore mobile internet access to users, Rightel and MCI subscribers remain largely offline<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

Source:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0NetBlocks\u2019\u00a0<\/em>live graph<\/em><\/a>\u00a0of mobile internet connectivity, 24\/11\/2019<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mobile internet providers started to move to reconnect users on Sunday, though Netblocks\u2019 data\u00a0showed<\/a>\u00a0significant disparities between different telecoms providers in the pace of reconnection. Whereas MTN Irancell had seemingly reconnected 95% of its users by Sunday evening, Rightel had not yet restored access to a quarter of its own users. Users of the Mobile Communications Company of Iran, meanwhile, remained offline entirely.<\/p>\n

However, these statistics of reconnection may not tell a fully accurate story. Although this test shows that MTN Irancell users are broadly able to get online, reports on social media claim that many users are still struggling to access internationally hosted services and websites. It seems that users\u2019 experience of using the internet will remain disrupted to some extent for a while to come.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Shutdown starts to lift across ADSL broadband connections, while 3G and 4G access remains limited nationwide<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
\n