DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Iranians have been struggling for nearly two weeks with the longest, most comprehensive internet shutdown in the history of the Islamic Republic — one that has not only restricted their access to information and the outside world, but is also throttling many businesses that rely on online advertising.Authorities shut down internet access on Jan.8 as nationwide protests led to a brutal crackdown that activists say has killed over 4,000 people, with more feared dead.
Since then, there has been minimal access to the outside world, with connectivity in recent days restored only for some domestic websites.Google also began partially functioning as a search engine, with most search results inaccessible.
Officials have offered no firm timeline for the internet to return, leading to fears by businesses across the country about their future.One pet shop owner in Tehran, who spoke on the condition of anonymity like others for fear of reprisals, said his business had fallen by 90% since the protests.“Before that, I mainly worked on Instagram and Telegram which I don’t have access to anymore.
The government has proposed two domestic alternatives.The point is our customers are not there — they don’t use it.”The internet outage compounds economic pain already suffered by Iranians.
The protests, which appear to have halted under a bloody suppression by authorities, began Dec.28 over Iran’s rial currency falling to over 1.4 million to $1.
Ten years ago, the rial traded at 32,000 to $1.Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, it traded at 70 to $1.
The currency’s downward spiral pushed up inflation, increasing the cost of food and other daily necessities.The pressure on Iranians’ pockets was compounded by changes to gasoline prices that were also introduced in December, further fueling anger.Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA quoted a deputy minister of communications and information technology, Ehsan Chitsaz, as saying the cut to...