@netblocks while this isn't technically incorrect from your point of view, "near-total disconnection" in practice isn't as rough as you make it sound. Iran is a country where VPNs and techniques to go around the blocks have been used by average citizens for years. I can confirm that my non-tech-savvy family has been reachable during the whole period including video calls except for a short period at the start of the war.

@Brie @netblocks as far as I understand the way the block is done, VPNs don't do anything since the main route to the global internet has been entirely cut off. So I would guess your non tech family must have some special connection outside of this block using another countries connection to the outside internet like a Starlink or a connection from a neighboring country

@liaizon @netblocks This could be the case, as their village is reasonably close to a border. All I know is that they got this working on their own using local and cheap technical means (definitely no money to use starlink but I imagine starlink endpoints might be part of a proxy chain), and that we are reaching them using apps Bale and Soroush. I'll ask my partner as I don't speak farsi, but I got the impression that they were regularly talking to friends and family deeper in the country too.