RT Nima Akbarpour نیما: Joint Statement: Internet Architects & Leaders Condemn the Iran Shutdown January 11, 2026 To: The Government of the Islami...
RT Nima Akbarpour نیما
Joint Statement: Internet Architects & Leaders Condemn the Iran Shutdown
January 11, 2026
To: The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the International Community
As architects, operators, and stewards of the global Internet infrastructure, we define the Internet not merely as a network of cables and routers, but as a foundational instrument for human connection, economic survival, and the free flow of information.
We observe with grave concern the deliberate, total shutdown of Internet connectivity within Iran.
This action is not a matter of internal traffic management; it is a disconnection of a nation from the world.
By severing the digital lifelines of over 90 million people, the authorities are inflicting profound harm on their own citizens: disabling emergency services, crushing economic activity, and isolating individuals from their families and the global community during a time of crisis.
We assert the following principles:
1. Connectivity is a Fundamental Enabler of Human Rights: In the 21st century, the right to assemble, the right to speak, and the right to access information are inextricably linked to internet access.
2. Protecting the Global Internet Commons: National-scale shutdowns fragment the global network, undermining the stability and trust required for the internet to function as a global commons.
3. Transparency: The technical community condemns the use of BGP manipulation and infrastructure filtering to obscure events on the ground.
We call upon the relevant authorities in Iran to immediately restore full, unfiltered internet access. We further call upon the international technical community to remain vigilant in monitoring connectivity and to support efforts that ensure the internet remains open, interoperable, and accessible to all.
The internet belongs to everyone. It must not be weaponized against the people it was built to serve.
Signed,
(Signatures are on personal title; affiliations are mentioned for indicative purposes)
Internet Pioneers & Governance Leadership
- Esther Dyson – Founding Chair, ICANN; Author, “Term Limits: Time and scale in the age of AI”
- Geoff Huston – Chief Scientist, APNIC; Internet Hall of Fame Inductee
- Andrew Sullivan – Past IAB member, past IAB Chair, past Internet Society President and CEO
- George Sadowsky – Former ISOC & ICANN Board Member; Internet Hall of Fame Inductee
- Robert Madelin – Former Director-General for Internet matters at the European Commission; Senior Strategist at FIPRA International
- Wolfgang Kleinwächter – Professor Emeritus for Internet Policy and Regulation; Former ICANN Board Member
- Maarten Botterman – Former Chairman of the ICANN Board; Director, GNKS Consult
- Kaveh Ranjbar – Former CIO/CTO, RIPE NCC; Former Board Member, ICANN
- Asha Hemrajani – Former Member, ICANN Board of Directors
- Desiree Miloshevic – Emeritus Board Member, Internet Society; Member, IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group
Global Innovation & Business Leadership
- Anousheh Ansari – CEO, XPRIZE Foundation; First Female Private Space Explorer
- Khaled Koubaa – CEO, Worthy Technology
Policy, Law & Human Rights
- Lawrence Lessig – Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard Law School; Founder, Creative Commons
- Meredith Whittaker – President, Signal
- Bart Groothuis – Member of the European Parliament; Former Head of Cybersecurity, Dutch Ministry of Defence
- Daniel Attard – Member of the European Parliament; Vice-Chair, Delegation for relations with Iran
- Patrick Breyer – Former Member of the European Parliament; Digital Rights Advocate
- Milton L. Mueller – Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology; Director, Internet Governance Project (IGP)
- Alec Ross – Distinguished Professor, University of Bologna Business School
Security, Cryptography & Technical Experts
- Bruce Schneier – Harvard Kennedy School / Munk School at the University of Toronto
- Bart Preneel – Professor of Cryptography and Information Security, KU Leuven
- Randy Bush – Researcher, Operator, old Internet curmudgeon, Portland Oregon
- Michele Neylon – Founder & CEO, Blacknight Solutions; Former Chair, ICANN Registrar Stakeholder Group
- Carmela Troncoso – Scientific Director, Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy
- Jaap-Henk Hoepman – Professor of Privacy by Design, Karlstad University / Radboud University
- Simone Fischer-Hübner – Professor for Cybersecurity and Privacy, Karlstad University / Chalmers University of Technology
- Stephen Farrell – Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin
- Aurélien Francillon – Professor, EURECOM
#Iran #DigitalBlackoutIran #internet #IranProtests
