@aral @ZekuZelalem As Fedizens with a lot of reach, you might want to boost this petition by Iranians to #OpenTheIranianInternet :
[1] https://www.daadkhast.org/en/petition/6360
Signatures seem to appear within about an hour after (my guess) manual checking.
You can ask Iranian Fedizens if they have a better idea:
@boud @aral @ZekuZelalem @MirSobhan @Mehrad @masoud @prbzrg I appreciate the intentions. But I’m not sure I can see how this petition can do anything.
1. Islamic republic will not be convinced by this because it is the exact kind of behavior they want to stop by disconnecting the internet. (1/7)
I really appreciate such efforts, but in the absence of any formal direct-democracy mechanism in Iran or even in the absence of the rule of law, I do not think this is a very effective form of activism.
Let's also not forget that another reason for Internet blackout can be to prevent major cyber attacks or to prevent pinpointing population movements by the foreign aggressor forces. I assume they have access to the traffic from all major US Internet services..
3/3 @masoud
"... another reason ..."
Are you only giving an *explanation* here?
Or are you *also* presenting your opinion opposing a broad Fediverse/cyberspace call to #OpenTheIranianInternet , on the grounds that the internet blockade is (partially) protecting Iranian citizens?
It wasn't for me to decide that Iranians were right or wrong to call for the US/IL attack against the IRI, and it's not my right to oppose Iranians who want to keep the Internet blockade.
I was mainly trying to explain that we may be dealing with two distinct layers of Internet blackout. If I am right, then we should address these two layers differently.
In the short run (during war and intense phases of cyber war from the most powerful cyber gangsters in the world) the IRI blocks the Internet to protect its existence and we the citizens can do little about it.
In the long run and in the absence of (cyber)war, we have to pressure IRI to open up the Internet, which I guess that campaign was about. Being the victim of Internet censorship myself, I fully support anything that can help with this.
2/3 @prma @MirSobhan @masoud
Mechanism: That petition [1] (and this Fediverse bubble) is (are) a small component of a complex dynamical system [4]. A positive feedback loop to #OpenTheIranianInternet could grow exponentially (beyond Fedi) to the point where the IRI/IRGC concede to external + internal pressure (such as son of President [5]). Whether it grows or is dampened will (partly) depend on arguments for or against.
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_system_approach_to_peace_and_armed_conflict
"... #HumesParadox is real. Even despotic rule is commonly founded on a measure of consent, ..." [6]
#YouzefPezeshkian (temporarily?) withdrew his consent earlier [5]. The consent of others within the IRI system is not guaranteed.
(BTW, seems like the January 2026 crime against humanity was mostly just on two days: 8+9 January [7].)
[6] https://web.archive.org/web/20260108015644/https://chomsky.info/199107__/
[7] (vertical scale is logarithmic) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iranvictims_killed.svg
I am truly impressed by the research you do and the level of care you put on this issue. You are kind!
Internet censorship was (and still is) a big political issue in Iran, even during presidential campaigns. The extent of censorship is so broad that it is very difficult to find any politician who openly supports censorship of YouTube, BBC, etc. Everybody says that "they" are against such censorship, and yet it is never given up in the last couple of decades. All decisions about which websites and services to block are made in some shady non-transparent committees with little public info about their membership, and mostly outside of the formal government. Those committees usually directly report to the supreme leader.
'Everybody says that "they" are against such censorship ...'
So if the IRI survives, it sounds like a 'second layer' internet freedom reform would be a potentially powerful change - much less than a complete overthrow of the IRI, but requiring a power shift within the system, and greatly welcome by most Iranians.
Have I understood correctly?
I think the IRI system is, at least, perturbed by the events from Jan to April 2026, so some shifts are plausible.
Exactly. If some of the regime posts that are replaced during the war relate to Internet censorship (most importantly the new younger supreme leader) then I would also expect some changes, hopefully for the better.
However, I do not hold my breath. The general shift in the leadership during the war has been towards even more people of military background in political positions. I do not rule out any improvement, but I find the chances to be quite low.
@boud @[email protected] these are politic games. We shouldn't plan on noises of reformist that are saying this lies to keep their credit between people by pretending "hey look at us we don't look like regime".
We have a lot to say about they but there is no time. Just believe me there is no way regime opens internet before wars end.
Boud
Perma
Misano
Masoud Abkenar
Mehrad 
