Iran hacks itself, Internet collapses amid nationwide protests
TL;DR
Iran's internet experienced a near-total blackout on Jan. 8 during nationwide protests, with the government suspected of causing the disconnection to control access and suppress dissent.
Source: TechCrunch
Internet connectivity collapsed across Iran on Jan. 8 amid nationwide protests, according to web monitoring firms. “I think we’re at a near-total disconnection from the outside world now,” Amir Rashidi, an Iranian cybersecurity researcher who works for the nonprofit Miaan Group, told TechCrunch. Iran’s internet has been in “near-total blackout” since around 11:30 a.m. on the U.S. east coast on Jan. 8, or 8 p.m. local time in Tehran. The Iranian government, which maintains a tight control over the country’s internet access, is behind the internet blackout, according to Rashidi. The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s website was down at the time of publication. Full Story