“IT WILL BACKFIRE”
Curbs on the internet have been imposed during previous bouts of unrest in Iran, though they have generally been shorter and more limited in scope.
Disruptions took place as far back as 2009 during nationwide demonstrations against the re-election of then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Restrictions were also in place during protests sparked by rising fuel prices in 2019, rallies in 2022-2023 after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, and during the 12-day war with Israel in June last year.
Amin, another content creator who reviews tech devices in videos posted to YouTube and Instagram, said he had anticipated restrictions this time but did not expect the shutdown to be so long or so stringent.
“We used to complain that working under these conditions was difficult, but now it’s affecting every aspect of our livelihoods,” the 29-year-old told AFP.
It remains unclear how long the blackout will last. In recent days, patchy access to some foreign websites and email services, such as Google, has been available, but has been highly unreliable.
“The only optimistic thing I can say… is that I don’t see them keeping the internet shut completely for a long time,” Amin said.
“Otherwise, it will backfire.”
