BREAKING:
Public internet access may never return to Iran.
In a report from the organization Filterwatch, human rights activists in Iran warn that the regime is planning to completely cut Iran off from the global internet.
“A secret plan is being prepared to make international internet a government privilege,” they write in the report.
Only individuals handpicked by the regime will be given access. Iranians who have security clearance or have undergone government checks could surf on a filtered version of the global internet, according to the report.
“State media and government spokespersons have already signaled that this is a permanent shift and have warned that unrestricted access will not return after 2026”
Internet and telephony were cut off by the regime on January 8, in connection with the massive demonstrations that raged in all of Iran's provinces.
Filterwatch’s report describes how the protests have scared the regime and convinced it that public access to the internet places its hold on power in danger.
Instead, the regime will now introduce a policy of “Absolute Digital Isolation.”
Some regime spokesmen have talked openly about the measures taken against the internet being a "permanent shift" with unrestricted access not returning after 2026.
The government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani has said there will be no return to international access at least until March and that it will never fully revert to the previous form.
