David Bridges
Iran is not the only country to impose so-called internet blackouts. Governments in Cuba, India, Russia and beyond have engaged in some form of censorship in recent years, whether that’s throttling particular platforms or severing connectivity entirely. These repressive efforts vary in type as well as in sophistication. Sometimes employing a virtual private network, or VPN, is enough for people to circumvent restrictions. But that doesn’t work if web access itself is blocked rather than certain sites, and governments can also block particular VPNs. Private servers that anyone anywhere in the world can set up can occasionally fill the gap. But those also can’t operate in a total blackout. And mesh networks, by relying on Bluetooth or WiFi signals to facilitate communication among devices in close proximity, can serve as a method of last resort. But that doesn’t resolve the issue of communicating with those not in close proximity, much less outside a nation’s borders.
The Iranian government’s blocking capabilities are almost as sophisticated as it gets. Authorities don’t rely on any single method for hampering connectivity. They can filter specific services and hit an all-purpose “off” switch, so there’s also no single solution to evading the regime’s restrictions. A mix of VPNs, private servers and other evasion strategies can push news, viral videos and more through the cracks, but they can only do so slowly and sparingly.
That’s where Starlink comes in. The SpaceX system is supposed to solve this problem by letting citizens directly reach the global, open internet instead of the domestic, censored one. Starlink’s more than 1,000 satellites orbit Earth at a lower altitude than their traditional telecom counterparts, allowing them to transmit signals quickly to and from the territory they’re hovering above. When they’re flying over Iran, all Iranians need to reach them is a receiver.
Unfortunately, that’s a big “all.” The routers weigh more than 30 pounds, making it difficult to smuggle them to civilians in need. They also rely on antennae placed in clear areas, rendering concealment nearly impossible. The biggest obstacle might be international bureaucracy: The International Telecommunication Union must grant spectrum approval to any satellite internet company trying to broadcast into a country, and it’s unlikely that would happen without the country’s permission. All this explains why, despite everything that stands in the system’s way in Iran, Starlink is succeeding in Ukraine — where the sovereign government does want the technology operating on its territory. The satellites helped when bombing knocked out Kyiv’s internet infrastructure, and they remain invaluable in disputed regions and across fluid battle lines. Recently, however, there have been reports of “catastrophic” outages.
The takeaway is to keep trying. The total blackout is a crude and costly tool; researchers estimate that government internet shutdowns result in billions of lost revenue annually. Countries more woven into the global economy are less likely than Iran to take such a drastic step. Instead, they’ll opt for whatever form of selective filtering they have the tools for. This gives democracies an opportunity. They can fight for international standards that reject filtering, and they can fund the development and deployment of VPNs and private servers around the world to prepare people for internet blockades before their governments try to impose them. President Biden’s administration was wise to grant U.S. companies a general license to help Iranians access the internet without worrying about running afoul of sanctions. The White House should pursue proactively similar efforts in other countries rather than moving only in response to a crisis.
The same thinking should apply to cutting-edge technologies. Starlink might not be viable everywhere, but that doesn’t mean it’s not viable anywhere — and it is likely to become easier to use as receivers proliferate and technology advances. The United States and other democracies should continue to invest in the development and spread of censorship-evasion systems, so that the next time people hit the streets to protest a repressive regime, the world will know instantly.
Tessa Everly
Sophie Langley
