Iran's Internet Shutdown: A Technical Deep Dive

Dissecting the Iranian Internet Blackout

The Cloudflare blog post provides a crucial, data-driven analysis of Iran's internet shutdown, offering valuable insights into the technical mechanisms employed. The article's strength lies in its use of Cloudflare Radar data to pinpoint the timeline and technical specifics of the shutdown, including the abrupt drop in IPv6 address space and the shift in HTTP/3 usage. This level of detail is critical for understanding the nature of internet censorship and its impact. The comparison of the current shutdown with previous instances in 2019 and 2022 helps contextualize the situation, highlighting a pattern of government control. The documentation of the brief windows of connectivity and its subsequent disappearance adds a layer of complexity, possibly indicating an intentional strategy of controlled access. However, the article could benefit from including more information on the tools and techniques used to implement the shutdown, e.g. BGP manipulation, DNS filtering. More context around the political landscape and the motivations behind the internet shutdown would further strengthen the analysis. The article focuses primarily on the technical aspects and could be improved by incorporating perspectives from human rights organizations and activists to highlight the broader human impact.

Key Points

• The article details the technical aspects of Iran's internet shutdown, using Cloudflare Radar data to track traffic patterns.
• Key indicators include a drastic reduction in IPv6 address space and shifts in HTTP/3 usage, suggesting active filtering and control measures.
• The shutdown is contextualized by comparing it with previous instances, highlighting a pattern of government-initiated internet disruptions during protests.

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📖 Source: What we know about Iran’s Internet shutdown