Our accessibility is getting limited each day. “They have removed WhatsApp and Instagram from local app stores, they have blocked our connection to Google Play store and App Store so we can’t download any VPN or social media apps they do this so protesters can’t connect to each other and can’t share news on social media, the high censorship starts from 4pm to 11:59pm, sometimes we have issues even for calling each other!”Īnother user, 18-year-old Nima, whose name CNN changed because he fears for his safety, told CNN there were no messaging apps that work in Iran right now without using VPNs, “The government is blocking VPNs right now, one by one. “This time they are not just limiting the internet,” Ali added. Iranian security forces arrest a woman for eating at restaurant in public without her hijab, family says The face of the man on the right was obstructed in the original post to social media. “I can hardly get in touch with my friends because we can’t always get connected to VPNs,” 22-year-old Ali, whose name CNN changed because he fears for his safety, told CNN via an encrypted ProtonMail conversation.Ī VPN, or virtual private network, encrypts the user’s traffic and connects it to a remote server, protecting the data and activity Tor is an open-source network which allows anonymous web browsing ProtonMail is an end-to-end encrypted email service.ĭonya Rad is seen in this image posted to social media in a Tehran restaurant without a hijab. But even these are now being restricted by authorities and are therefore far from reliable. “They don’t want you to be able to communicate with your friends, with your family, with your colleagues, because simply if you’re going to basically create a group you’re going to be more effective in the way that you are doing protest,” Amir Rashidi, director of digital rights and security at human rights organization Miaan Group, told CNN.Īs a result of these frequent blackouts, tech-savvy Iranians have learned increasingly to rely on more advanced tools like VPNs or Tor network as workarounds to stay connected. Grief, protest and power: Why Iranian women are cutting their hairĪctivists in Iran say that the primary purpose of the shutdowns is to disrupt communication among people organizing protests on the ground and stifle dissent.

An activist cuts her hair in protest over the death of Mahsa Amini outside The New York Times building in New York City on Tuesday.

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