Iran is reportedly planning a permanent disconnection from the global internet, restricting access to a filtered version for individuals vetted by the regime, according to digital rights activists. A report from Filterwatch, an organisation monitoring Iran’s internet censorship, claims that a confidential plan is under way to turn international internet access into a ‘governmental privilege’.
Under the plan, Iranians with security clearance or who pass government checks would be allowed to use a filtered version of the global internet, while all others would be confined to the national internet—a domestic, parallel network cut off from the wider world. State media and government spokespersons have reportedly indicated that unrestricted access will not return after 2026.
Iran’s current internet shutdown began on 8 January following 12 days of escalating anti-regime protests, during which thousands have been killed. The blackout is one of the most severe in history, lasting longer than Egypt’s 2011 shutdown during the Tahrir Square protests. A government spokesperson reportedly told Iranian media that the international internet would be shut off until at least Nowruz, the Persian new year on 20 March.
Amir Rashidi, leader of Filterwatch, said authorities appear satisfied with the current level of connectivity and believe the shutdown has helped them control the situation. The move is the culmination of a 16-year effort to cement regime control over the internet, involving a sophisticated filtering system known as whitelisting, which allows only a select few to access the global internet.
Researchers at Project Ainita and Outline Foundation said the whitelisting was likely enabled by technology exported from China, using high-capacity middleboxes that monitor and manipulate internet traffic. These systems could be scaled up to inspect the traffic of entire countries, spying on users and blocking websites, protocols, and VPN tools.
A former US state department official described the idea of a permanent break as “plausible and terrifying”, but noted the economic and cultural impacts would be massive. Iran has been working towards a national internet since 2009, after a brief shutdown during protests following Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election caused severe disruption.
