Iran internet blackout activated centralized kill switch to conceal alleged crimes as protests surge, NetBlocks CEO Alp Toker says connectivity dropped below 2%.
The Iranian regime triggered an internet « kill switch » in an apparent effort to hide alleged abuses by security forces and as protests against it surged nationwide, a cybersecurity expert has claimed.
The blackout slashed internet access to a fraction of normal levels on the 13th day of the protests as rights groups, including Amensty International, accused the regime of using lethal force against protesters.
« This is Iran’s war against its own population using digital means », NetBlocks CEO Alp Toker told Fox News Digital.
« This was a piecemeal measure that eventually encompassed the entire country, with the government willing to use this kind of measure for an extended period of time », he said.
« There would be an attempt by the regime to cover up crimes that it may have committed, so this blackout could potentially last for days or weeks », Toker added.
At least 65 people have been killed in the protests, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, which said late Friday that the death toll had more than doubled since earlier in the week.
The group also reported that more than 2,300 people have been arrested and that demonstrations have spread to at least 180 cities nationwide. Most of those killed were protesters, the group said.
« People in Iran daring to express their anger at decades of repression and demand fundamental change are once again being met with a deadly pattern of security forces unlawfully firing at, chasing, arresting and beating protesters », Amnesty International also said in a statement Thursday.
