After Iran cut off the internet, remaining traffic was found to be from government agencies accessing pornography.

After Iran cut off the internet, remaining traffic was found to be from government agencies accessing pornography.

The Iranian government has enforced a near-total nationwide internet blackout, now entering its fourth consecutive day. Since January 15, connectivity across the country has been almost entirely severed in response to escalating anti-government protests.

The "Pornography" Paradox

In a startling revelation, Matthew Prince, CEO of Cloudflare, disclosed that while the general population remains offline, small bursts of traffic have been detected leaking through the firewall. According to Prince, this intermittent traffic originates from government-controlled IP blocks, specifically showing activity related to downloading pornography—a stark hypocrisy given the regime’s strict censorship and moral policing of its citizens.

The Timeline of the Shutdown

The protests, fueled by a collapsing economy and soaring inflation since late 2025, forced the state to escalate its digital crackdown in two distinct phases:

• January 9: The government throttled internet access for the general public. While traffic plummeted, most Iranians could still bypass restrictions using VPNs.

• January 15: The "Kill Switch" was fully engaged. Data center connectivity was cut, effectively isolating Iran from the global web.

Starlink vs. GPS Jamming

In a move to aid Iranian citizens, Elon Musk’s Starlink announced it would provide free satellite internet services across the country. Estimates suggest tens of thousands of Starlink terminals are currently smuggled and operational within Iran.

However, the connection is far from stable. Nariman Gharib, a prominent Iranian activist and opposition leader, reported that the regime has deployed sophisticated GPS jamming technology. Since Starlink requires precise GPS coordinates to align with satellites, the jamming has rendered many terminals useless. Even when a connection is established, speeds are often throttled to basic text-only levels, making it impossible to share videos or live-stream the reality on the ground.

•  Iran uses a system called the Halal Internet, a domestic internet network that is cut off from the outside world but still allows banking and government agencies to function. This is a strategy similar to China's "Great Firewall."

• Cutting off the internet not only harms protesters but is also destroying Iran's own digital economy. It is estimated that Iran loses more than $10 million per day in economic revenue from the blocking of information.

• The organization NetBlocks states that internet cuts are often used as a "digital curtain" to cover up violence by government officials against protesters, making it difficult to record evidence of human rights abuses.

• In addition to jamming, the Iranian government may use GPS spoofing, or sending fake coordinates into the Starlink system, to pinpoint the location of satellite dishes and arrest users.

 

 Starlink announced it will provide free internet service to citizens in Venezuela.