yī lǎng伊朗duàn wǎng断网biàn chéng变成yī cháng一场“méi tǐ媒体shì jiàn事件”：wǎng luò网络、suàn fǎ算法yǔ与“shuí谁néng能bèi被kàn jiàn看见”de的zhèng zhì政治
On December 27, 2025, a strike broke out in Tehran's Grand Bazaar and quickly spread to protests in more than 30 provinces nationwide.
On January 8, 2026, Iranian authorities almost completely cut off the national internet; mobile phones, broadband, and international connections were all affected, and service only slowly resumed on January 23.
During the internet blackout, it was very difficult for outsiders to see the real situation inside Iran.
Once the internet was restored, videos and testimonies began to emerge, and the United Nations Human Rights Council said the scale of violence was "unprecedented."
Some organizations also counted a large number of deaths, injuries, and arrests.
Because domestic voices were blocked, some pro-government commentators and media overseas more easily dominated the discourse, calling the protests "riots," claiming foreign manipulation, and constantly questioning the authenticity of videos, making people hesitant to believe any information.
On the other hand, some overseas groups explained the protests from a "support for Pahlavi" perspective, even labeling opponents as pro-Israel, which further complicated the situation.
The internet shutdown made "who can speak and who can be seen" very important: platforms and algorithms amplify those with resources, while ordinary people's experiences may disappear into silence.