- Iran imposed an internet shutdown on January 8 amid growing protests
- VPNs can’t help people get back online, Starlink also noted
- Iranians have been protesting against the economic crisis since December 28.
Iran imposed a near-total internet blackout on Thursday (January 8) as citizens took to the streets for the 12th consecutive day of protests.
Several network monitoring organizations confirmed that the outage began at approximately 6:45 pm UTC (10:15 pm local time).
Before the total blackout, there was a sharp drop in IPv6 traffic. Cloudflare noted that this early drop likely indicated that the government was selectively blocking internet access as the protests intensified.
The closure continues. NetBlocks data shows that national connectivity is “throttled at ~1% of ordinary levels.”
Amir Rashidi, Director of Internet Security and Digital Rights at Miaan Group, confirmed that while global access is down, the national mobile network – often called the National Information Network – now appears to be up and running in the country.
Rashidi also reported that international phone calls to the country had been interrupted, adding: “We witnessed this same situation during the war.”
Is there any solution?
Blocking the Internet in times of political unrest is a widespread tactic among authoritarian governments seeking to disrupt communications, both domestic and international.
While restricting access to WhatsApp, Signal, or The best VPN applications.
However, a VPN requires an active internet connection to work, meaning they offer little help during a nationwide internet outage.
Proton VPN has reported that its traffic from Iran has decreased significantly since the blackout began.
Proton VPN sessions originating from Iran are declining, confirming that the infrastructure that allows people to access the internet is being shut down. Normally, Proton VPN helps people affected by censorship bypass it, but in this case, the Internet has been completely cut off. pic.twitter.com/9AamyvGgq5January 8, 2026
Iranians have reportedly turned to Starlink connections to reconnect.
Because the SpaceX service relies on satellite infrastructure rather than local cables, it is theoretically resistant to traditional Internet restrictions.
However, Rashidi and other sources in Iran indicate that the state is now targeting these connections. By jamming GPS and satellite signals, authorities have reportedly degraded Starlink’s performance, with data suggesting packet loss has reached 30%.
“I have been monitoring and researching Internet access for the last 20 years and I have never seen anything like this in my life,” Rashidi told TechRadar.
Azam Jangravi, information security analyst at Citizen Lab, confirmed that most citizens remain isolated from the global Internet.
“It’s one of the worst closures we’ve seen in years,” he said. “This kind of shutdown is devastating. People can’t share what’s happening, can’t communicate with loved ones, can’t work or study. It’s isolating.”
Why is Iran shutting down the Internet?
Mass anti-government demonstrations have broken out in several cities across Iran since late December, driven by the country’s deepening economic crisis.
These demonstrations appear to be the largest in Iran since the 2022 movement after the death of Mahsa Amini.
France 24 reports that at least 42 people have died so far in the recent crackdown, according to human rights observers.
Jangravi warned that the current internet blackout could mask more violence, causing the situation to deteriorate rapidly.
“The risks are enormous,” he told TechRadar. “Without the Internet, there is no way to document abuse or organize safely. I worry that things could escalate, but I also know that Iranians are resilient. They always find ways to speak, even in the dark.”
