Iran Takes Lead In Global Internet Access Disruptions

Iran has emerged as the world leader in internet disruptions, with nearly half of all websites experiencing interruptions in the past nine months.

The Internet and Infrastructure Commission of the Tehran Electronic Commerce Association disclosed the alarming trend, attributing it to the recent deployment of filtering equipment within the domestic network and the government's plans to expand existing internet restrictions.

The country's internet situation has been evaluated based on disruption indicators, restrictions, and speed, placing Iran among the worst 50 nations surveyed for internet quality.

“Increasing online censorship in Iran has become a noticeable trend, with a daily surge in disruptions occurring between 5 PM and 11 PM.”

The association attributes the phenomenon to functional disruptions and processor saturation of filtering equipment.

Technical examinations conducted by the authors of the report reveal that Iranian officials, “due to a lack of knowledge, impose website censorship indiscriminately and at the IP level." Many websites remain on the filtering blacklist without a clear reason provided by the Islamic Republic, leading to their continued restriction.

Furthermore, the Electronic Commerce Association's examinations indicate that Iran's internet speed has slowed down approximately three times in the past five years, as observed in Google loading times.

Despite the presence of numerous decision-making bodies on internet censorship, the report emphasizes the significant role of the country's president in enhancing internet quality and holding others accountable. Under the administration of President Ebrahim Raisi, internet censorship has intensified, and the report notes a decline in Iran's international bandwidth consumption compared to the previous government.