If You're Listening Why Iran is building their own internet
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Mar 23, 2026 Amin Naeeni, a Deakin University PhD researcher who has studied and lived through Iran's internet shutdowns. He walks through Iran's move from a growing urban internet to building a separate national network. He explains how shutdowns work differently from full blackouts, the 2012 cyberspace council, comparisons with China and Russia, and the state of Iran's offensive cyber capabilities.
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2009 Protests Trigger Institutional Digital Control
- The 2009 protests catalysed Iran's investment in layered digital control beyond simple platform blocks.
- By 2012 the Supreme Council of Cyberspace institutionalised digital policy with top political and security figures driving strategy.
Iran's National Information Network Separates Domestic Traffic
- Iran has built a National Information Network to separate domestic traffic from the global internet during crises.
- The regime can run banking and state services locally while cutting citizens off from international platforms, first tested in 2019.
Iran Keeps A Domestic Network While Cutting Global Links
- Iran's approach differs from total blackouts elsewhere by maintaining a domestic network while cutting international links.
- Citizens can access state-hosted services and local apps but lose contact with people and platforms abroad and face monitoring.