- Proton VPN Signups Up 6000% as Iran Partially Restores Internet
- Spike reflects historic increases during previous internet outages
- Iranians turn to reliable circumvention tools whenever access is restricted
Proton VPN has seen a 6,000% increase in registrations from Iran following the partial restoration of internet access following a three-month national blackout.
The surge comes as Iran began lifting a near-total internet shutdown that had been in place since January 2026 amid widespread protests and the resulting military conflict with the United States and Israel.
As Iran’s government allowed limited Internet access starting Tuesday, users flocked to the best VPN services to establish secure connections and bypass remaining filters.
This latest increase is the latest in a long list of increases Proton VPN has seen in the wake of censorship and political unrest in Iran.
The data, available through the Proton VPN Observatory, reveals a consistent pattern: every time access is restricted, demand for secure circumvention tools like Proton VPN skyrockets.
Internet users in Iran seize the opportunity
While the Internet in Iran remains limited, the volume of new subscriptions indicates citizens’ desire to bypass censorship resistance and access independent news sites and secure communication channels.
The transition from a “whitelist” system – where only a privileged few could access previously approved sites – to a partially restored network has created a window of opportunity for Iranian internet users who are seizing the opportunity to regain online access before restrictions are tightened again.
“This +6000% increase, and growing, shows how desperately Iranians want to reconnect with the outside world, access independent information and communicate freely,” David Peterson, CEO of Proton VPN, said in a statement on TechRadar.
Peterson also assures that Proton “will continue to expand its capacity and support the Iranian people in their fight for true digital freedom.”
Iran’s long history of blackouts
This is not the first time Proton VPN has seen an extraordinary demand from Iran. The country has a long history of internet shutdowns and heavy censorship during periods of unrest. In each case, Proton VPN has become a critical lifeline for Iranians seeking access to global news and secure communications.
Following the outbreak of nationwide protests in October 2022, Iranian authorities imposed severe restrictions on the Internet and blocked most social media platforms, also resulting in a +6,000% increase in subscriptions. Most recently, in June 2025, a +5,500% increase was recorded as connectivity was partially restored following a near-total blackout imposed just eight days earlier.
The volatility of Iran’s internet access was highlighted earlier this year when a +1,000% increase in registration was recorded on January 7 amid anti-government protests. This was followed by a staggering +400,000% surge on January 21 during a brief and chaotic period of access restoration.
The current 6,000% increase suggests that despite the trauma of the recent three-month blackout, the appetite for an open Internet remains intact.
Users are constantly gravitating towards Proton VPN as it offers one of the best free VPN apps on the market, along with a strong reputation for privacy and its advanced obfuscation technologies. Features like Stealth mode and Tor over VPN are specifically designed to bypass deep packet inspection and strict firewalls, allowing users to hide their traffic from censors.
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