BBS:      TELESC.NET.BR
Assunto:  Iranian Internet Blackout Ongoing
De:       Mike Powell
Data:     Tue, 3 Mar 2026 10:40:07 -0500
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'Near-complete shutdown' - Iranians face third day of internet blackout as
connectivity hits 1%

By Chiara Castro published 22 hours ago

With internet traffic flatlining, even the most sophisticated VPNs and
circumvention tools can't help get people online

    Iran entered a near-total internet blackout on February 28
    The blackout remains ongoing
    Iranians have very limited solutions to circumvent restrictions

Iran has been plunged into a near-total internet blackout as regional conflicts
escalate. The disruptions come barely a month after previous nationwide
restrictions were lifted.

Data from internet watchdogs, including Cloudflare Radar and NetBlocks, shows
that widespread restrictions began on Saturday February 28. The disruptions
followed reports of military strikes in the region.

Cloudflare Radar recorded a "near-complete shutdown" on Saturday, reporting
that internet traffic in Iran had dropped in major hubs including Tehran, Fars,
Isfahan, Alborz, and Razavi Khorasan.

As of March 2, the blackout has surpassed the 48-hour mark with no signs of
recovery.

Doug Madory, Director of Internet Analysis at Kentik, confirmed that several
networks have entirely ceased exchanging traffic.

He noted that - similar to the restrictions imposed on January 8 - "there
is a tiny amount of traffic still getting passed." Signs of outages,
potentially caused by airstrikes, continue to reduce connectivity.

While Reuters reported that a wave of cyberattack incidents has coincided with
Saturday's attack on Iran, some digital rights activists have suggested that
the regime may be to blame for restricting access to the internet.

Iran has previously cut off online communications during times of political
turmoil. Besides the shutdown imposed in January to crack down on widespread
anti-government protests, authorities also restricted access to the internet
last June during the Twelve-Day War between Israel and Iran.

Why standard VPNs fail during a total blackout

Proton VPN, one of the most popular free VPNs in the region, recorded a "sharp
uptick" in usage on Saturday just hours before the near-total blackout took
effect.

David Peterson, General Manager at Proton VPN, noted that this surge suggests
Iranians were "trying to find international news sources on the US/Israel
strikes" before connectivity dropped.

While VPNs are important tools for bypassing censorship, they do need the
internet access to work.

For the same reason, VPN alternatives (Psiphon, Tor, and Lantern) that
currently help Iranians to overcome unprecedented internet censorship are also
likely not working.

Satellite internet connections like Starlink remain one of the very few
solutions to navigate these types of shutdowns, but access among residents in
Iran is limited.


https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/near-complete-shutdown-irani
ans-face-third-day-of-internet-blackout-as-connectivity-hits-1-percent

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