Iran’s internet infrastructure stands out globally for all the wrong reasons, with government-imposed censorship serving as a major culprit. The Tehran Electronic Commerce Association (TECA) paints a bleak picture, highlighting issues such as blocked websites, frequent disruptions, sluggish speeds, and the overloading of IP addresses due to extensive filtering.
In a comprehensive report, TECA experts attribute this dire situation to the lack of technical knowledge among government officials, characterizing it as a “self-inflicted” problem. Consequently, Iran has become a hotspot for global internet disruptions, compelling citizens to flock towards VPN services and other circumvention tools to maintain access to vital online information.
The investigation conducted by TECA over the past nine months reveals that nearly half of all websites in Iran experienced interruptions. Daily internet outages, particularly prevalent between 5 pm and 11 pm, are linked to the deployment of new filtering equipment within the domestic network, leading to functional disruptions and processor saturation.
Iran’s internet quality ranks among the bottom 50 globally, placing it alongside some of the world’s poorest and underdeveloped nations. The report suggests that due to a lack of technical understanding, Iranian regime officials may be enforcing indiscriminate censorship at the IP level without transparent justifications.
Beyond website blocking and bandwidth throttling, Iranian regime authorities have intensified internet shutdowns, notably during times of political unrest, such as the protests in 2019 and 2022. In the first half of 2023, Iran emerged as the leading perpetrator of internet shutdowns, as reported by VPN provider Surfshark. Weekly disruptions during Friday prayers in the Zahedan region have been in effect since late 2022, contributing to a substantial rise in the use of virtual private networks.
However, regime’s authorities have concurrently targeted VPN users, earning Iran a silver medal in VPN censorship in the previous year. Despite international condemnation of Iran’s internet censorship and calls for the restoration of access and digital rights protection, the regime has displayed little willingness to loosen its grip. Instead, there has been an increase in investment towards developing domestic platforms and infrastructure.
