Internet & Phone Disruptions Hit Iran Amidst Sudden Airing of Protest Footage on State TV
Demonstrations depicted on Iran's national television
Are you keeping up with the chaos in Iran? The regime is at it again, this time cutting off internet and phone connections while state TV mysteriously starts showing footage from the 2022 protests. That's right folks, just as Iranians were relying on every piece of information they could find, the government decided to pull the rug out from under their feet.
State television in Iran reportedly suffered some serious hacking, according to local news. One presenter informed the population about program disruptions, announcing that the disruptions were the result of hostile jamming via satellite frequencies. Videos of the state TV broadcast circulating on social media showed evidence of the hack, with footage from the mass demonstrations in the fall of 2022. Remember those? The "Woman, Life, Freedom" protest movement brought Iran's leadership to the brink of losing control.
Some are suggesting that this is Israel's doing, but there's no solid proof yet. In fact, the Iranian capital Tehran has been under fire recently, with Israel bombing the headquarters of the state broadcaster in Tehran. Two journalists were killed, and the building was severely damaged.
As if things weren't bad enough, Iran's security forces have shut down the internet, making phone connections to the country virtually nonexistent. But worry not, because Iran's state-controlled media is still managing to distribute their news, even on social media.
Real-time data confirmed a "near-total national internet blackout," according to Netblocks, an organization known for monitoring internet shutdowns. Residents of Tehran confirmed the internet outage by phone. Basically, staying informed is like playing a game of hopscotch - you never know what you're going to get!
Adding fuel to the fire, Iran's Communications Ministry recently announced the restriction to the national communications network due to "the misuse of the network by the enemy aggressor for military purposes and to endanger the lives and property of innocent people." However, access to communication within the country seemed to remain open.
- Iran
- Israel War
- Internet Blackout
- Tehran
- State Media Control
- Middle East Conflict
Enrichment Data:In 2022, Iran experienced a near-total internet blackout largely imposed by state authorities amid a wave of major protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died in police custody. This blackout was the most severe since the nationwide shutdowns during the November 2019 protests[1][5]. The government restricted internet access to suppress communication and coordination among protesters and to maintain control over the flow of information both inside and outside the country[3].
The state-run media's messaging and social media accounts were frequently used to spread misleading information, suppress dissenting voices, and sway the public narrative[3][5]. Furthermore, the Iranian government urged residents to delete popular messaging apps like WhatsApp, citing dubious privacy concerns and accusing such platforms of sharing user data with Israel. This added to the restrictions on social media and messaging services, further isolating the population from independent sources of information[2].
The European Union is committed to monitoring the ongoing war-and-conflicts in the Middle East, including the recent escalation between Iran and suspected Israeli forces, given Iran's history of internet blackouts during periods of general-news events like major protests. Despite the current internet outage in Iran's capital Tehran, Iran's state-controlled media continues to distribute news, potentially utilizing misleading information to sway the public narrative.
