In response to the unrest in the country, Iran’s mullahs’ regime is massively restricting Internet access. This is to prevent protesters from organizing themselves and images of what is happening from leaking out. The network blocks have another effect: more than a million jobs have been lost.
The sweeping internet ban imposed by the Iranian government over protests has left a million Iranians unemployed. This was announced by the national community of online businesses. “Almost all online businesses are affected by internet censorship, the blocking of the Instagram app alone has paralyzed 400,000 online companies in the last few days and over a million people have lost their jobs,” the association said, according to the news portal Khabarfoori.
The authorities responsible for the restrictions and blocks are responsible for the serious consequences for the online industry. In addition, the measures would soon lead to even more qualified workers leaving the country and emigrating.
In response to the protests, the government severely restricted access to the Internet last week and blocked some apps entirely. Mobile radio networks in particular hardly work at all. This is intended to make it more difficult for the demonstrators to organize themselves or to share videos and pictures with the world on social media. According to Telecommunications Minister Issa Sarepur, the restrictions will remain in place “as long as necessary”.
Blocked apps also include Instagram and WhatsApp. The two applications play an important role in the online business of around ten million Iranians. Instagram served as an exhibition space for many, WhatsApp was used as a communication and payment portal. According to media reports, the losses after the lockdown are in the millions.
Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Iran every day since September 19 to protest against the theocratic regime, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, who died after being arrested by the vice squad. The government is using extreme violence against them, and human rights organizations are now assuming that at least 76 people have died.
