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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Aisha Down

The splinternet: how online shutdowns are getting cheaper and easier to impose

Internet Iran United States
A blurred image of a woman on her mobile phone with a telecommunications mast in focus in the background
A teacher in Tehran on her mobile phone. The concept of a splinternet is becoming reality for many millions of people. Photograph: Majid Asgaripour/Reuters

During the height of Iran’s blackout in January, people could still access a platform that, in some senses, was like the internet.

Iranians could message family members on a government-monitored app and watch clips of Manchester United on a Farsi-language video-sharing site. They could read state news and use a local navigation service.

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