Iran plans 'absolute digital isolation,' will break permanently from global internet - Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Jerusalem Post Staff

A former US State Department official called the idea of Iran severing global internet access permanently "plausible and terrifying."

 

People gather during protest on January 8, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

(photo credit: Anonymous/Getty Images) 

Iran is planning to limit global internet access to specific vetted individuals and will cut off all other Iranians from the rest of the world, The Guardian reported on Saturday, citing a Filterwatch report monitoring Iran's internet censorship.

"The Islamic Republic has abandoned its traditional model of mass internet censorship in favor of a new, far darker strategy: 'Absolute Digital Isolation," Filterwatch wrote, citing a number of sources in Iran.

Even Iranians with security clearance or those who have passed government checks would only be allowed filtered access to the global internet, according to Filterwatch leader Amir Rashidi.

Iran's global internet access was severed on January 8, amid escalating protests. According to Filterwatch, this shutdown was not an impulsive decision but the result of planning, which differs significantly from past internet shutdowns.

While the global internet was blocked during the 2019 and 2022 protests, the National Information Network (NIN) remained online, enabling local apps and essential services to function. The NIN was shut down, along with privileged SIM cards and landline telephone networks, in the initial phase of this 2026 shutdown.

A protester waves the pre-Islamic Revolution Iranian flag outside UN headquarters during a United Nations Security Council meeting on Iran in New York on January 15, 2026. (credit: ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images)

Will Iran shut off the internet permanently?

Iran has been working towards a separate national internet since 2009, establishing the Supreme Council of Cyberspace in 2012. While they developed the domestic network, the regime also implemented a sophisticated filtering system to limit global internet access to only a select few, a practice known as whitelisting.

The national internet allows Iranians to access websites and applications "purpose-built" by the regime, including messaging services and search engines, the Guardian wrote.

A former US State Department official called the idea of Iran severing global internet access permanently "plausible and terrifying." However, he also warned that it would be costly.

“It’s not out of the question that they’re going to do it, but seeing these situations unfold, the economic impact and the cultural impact will be really massive. And they may overplay their hand," the official said.

Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-883637

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