Disadvantages of Internet Shutdown in Iran
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Oct 23, 2022
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It is the sixth week of internet shutdown in Iran. There are huge economical and social disadvantages of the internet shutdown in Iran. What about looking at these cons and discuss transparently.
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Buse Eker
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Disadvantages of Internet Shutdown in Iran - FastVPN
It is so ironic that governments are shutting down the internet for the good. When there is an internet restriction, the authorities mention that it is for public security. However, it always turns out that governments do that aiming to maintain the authority over individuals no matter what the outcomes will be. Today, it is the same situation for Iran.
What Is The Reason For Internet Shutdown in Iran?The Numbers of Internet ShutdownThe Reactions To The Internet ShutdownFinancial Damage of The Internet ShutdownConclusion
What Is The Reason For Internet Shutdown in Iran?
Iranian people are suffering from the lack of internet right now. They don’t have access to almost anything. The reason? There is no internet in Iran for “national security” if we hear out the government. According to the government’s statement, nation-wide protests are detrimental acts against the country. The people who try to damage, are able to organize thanks to the internet. Regardless of the reasons for the protests, it makes sense in the aspect of the government, though, right?
Let’s look from the protesters’ point of view now. Public protests against the government for the incident of the morality police killing of Mahsa Amini. Iranian people actually defend their freedom. In return, the government reacts by shutting down the internet. Without the internet, people cannot communicate and encourage each other to increase their voice against injustice. The lack of communication makes people lonely.
The Numbers of Internet Shutdown
Did you know that 23 countries cut the internet collectively 183 times in 2021. It is a huge number! This is exactly the reason why FastVPN is created to help people who suffer from internet shutdowns. When we look at the numbers, internet restrictions will not end soon. On the contrary, the statistics show that the numbers are increasing every year.
The number of internet restrictions in Iran is also not encouraging. Felicia Anthonio, who leads NGO Access Now says Iran’s latest internet shutdown is the third time the country has disrupted the internet in the past 12 months.
The Reactions To The Internet Shutdown
There are many reactions to the internet restriction in Iran and across the world.
The E-Commerce Association in Tehran stated that “Cutting access to Instagram (for instance) has put more than 400,000 businesses at risk of obliteration and has caused serious problems for the livelihoods of more than a million people.”The watchdog said that the internet shutdown costs Iran $1.5 million per hour.
Tejarat News website revealed that the disadvantage of the initial 11 days of the internet shutdown in Iran is equivalent to the country’s entire oil revenue of 2021.
The Online Businesses Union secretary Reza Olfat-Nasab provided surprising stats, saying that “The livelihood of ten million citizens is currently dependent on cyberspace.”
In mid-September, the internet was cut off in Iran. Netblocks—the global internet’s observatory body—has declared that every hour of internet shutdown in Iran costs $1.5 million in financial disadvantage, 450 billion rials, to the country, meaning 10 trillion rials per day, and 110 trillion rials in the past 11 days.
Financial Damage of The Internet Shutdown
The internet is everything now. From e-Commerce to data tracking, almost every business uses the internet for their operations. When we consider 400,000 businesses are affected by the internet restriction, the cost of $1.5 million looks normal. What is more that over one million people are at the risk of losing their job unless the internet comes back.
These are just the numbers of the first 11 days of the protests. The financial damage is growing every single hour.
Besides the financial damage, let’s consider the motivation of the public. There is no internet across the country. If you are running an eCommerce business, you have no revenue at all. If you are providing digital marketing services, there is no job for you. You cannot do any business abroad at all. After all, there are country-wide protests. It looks like an economical disaster.
Conclusion
It is sad to see that the government and public fight against each other. While the government tries to maintain authority over the public, Iranian people protest for their freedom. Yes, there is an astronomical financial damage. On the other hand, people are dying while fighting for freedom. In a situation like this, there is no reasonable explanation for shutting down the internet and the violent reaction of Iranian police. Hope that it ends soon…
