Post-war internet in Iran: More censorship and greater risks for users

More than 75 million internet users in Iran are contending with heavily restricted online access, even as peace negotiations between Iranian and U.S. officials proceed in Switzerland. Although internet access has been gradually restored over the past four weeks, the current online environment is vastly different from before the January 8 internet blackout and the subsequent crackdown on protesters.

Users report that internet speeds have declined further, and accessing popular social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok remains extremely difficult, even with VPN services. A source within Iran's communications sector revealed that the government has reopened the internet under strict conditions imposed by the Supreme National Security Council. These conditions mandate altering internet access and control to make it more manageable and controllable.

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One of the main conditions was that the quality of access to, and control over, the global internet be altered in such a way that it becomes far more manageable and controllable.

VPNs are now heavily monitored and tracked, making it considerably more difficult to bypass censorship than before the blackout. Surveillance and monitoring efforts to update blocklists have intensified on an hour-by-hour basis. The source indicated that most proposed solutions and workarounds by internet platforms and activists have a very limited lifespan due to continuous, real-time monitoring.

The only potentially viable solution suggested is the widespread availability of Starlink, which could create house-to-house networks and broader access, making government monitoring and tracking significantly more difficult. Estimates suggest around half a million people, primarily in northern Tehran, currently have access to Starlink.

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VPNs are also being heavily monitored and tracked, and in practice, bypassing censorship has become considerably more difficult than before.