(Beirut) – Iranian authorities should immediately end the ongoing internet shutdown and communications restrictions, which place civilians at risk of further harm, Human Rights Watch said today. The international community should also support internet access for the civilian population.
On February 28, 2026, internet traffic dropped significantly, indicating a nationwide blackout following strikes across the country by the United States and Israel. Cloudflare Radar, a network measurement platform that provides real-time information on internet traffic, said that internet traffic in Iran dropped by 98 percent on February 28, signaling a near-complete blackout. State affiliated media have indicated that only pre-approved websites are accessible through the National Information Network.
“Shutting down the internet during times of crisis restricts access to lifesaving information, such as where strikes are taking place and how to safely access medical care,” said Tomiwa Ilori, senior technology and human rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Internet shutdowns can also contribute to severe psychological harm on people during the conflict as they are unable to contact their loved ones.”
Iranian authorities have a track record of imposing internet disruptions and shutdowns during times of conflict and crisis, including during protests, to restrict access to information, conceal atrocities they commit, and obstruct independent documentation of violations. On January 8, authorities imposed a 21-day internet shutdown along with severe communications restrictions as security forces massacred thousands of protesters and bystanders across the country within the span of two days. During the 12-day Israel-Iran armed conflict in June 2025, Iranian authorities imposed a similar near-total internet shutdown.
Other recent examples include in November 2019, a near-total 12-day internet shutdown that was imposed by Iranian authorities as nationwide protests engulfed the country and the authorities lethally repressed the protests, killing and injuring protesters and bystanders. Similarly, during the brutal repression of Women, Life, Freedom protests of September to December 2022, the authorities imposed a range of measures to restrict internet access, including localized and short-term shutdowns.
The ongoing military attacks from the United States and Israel and Iran’s in military actions against a number of countries in the region do not justify blanket internet shutdowns in the country.
Such sweeping internet shutdowns violate a range of human rights. They help conceal large-scale atrocities, contribute to the spread of mis- and disinformation, and unlawfully restrict access to information. At the same time, the shutdowns severely hamper the work of journalists and human rights monitors, including documentation and reporting on possible laws of war violations by all parties. Communications blackouts could also contribute to impunity for human rights violations,
These shutdowns place civilians at further risk of serious harm, including injury and death, with numerous daily military strikes across the country. The shutdowns prevent people from timely access to information about safety measures, lifesaving services, and sources of food and shelter. Internet shutdowns during conflicts and humanitarian emergencies also inflict psychological harm by cutting people off from their loved ones.
International human rights law protects the right of people to freely seek, receive, and provide information and ideas through all media, including the internet. Any security-related restrictions on the use of the internet should be implemented according to clear law and be a necessary and proportionate response to a specific security concern.
Any shutdown of communication networks during conflict, including mobile data, which is regularly used for both civilian and military purposes, would need to take into account the basic principles of the laws of war, including necessity and proportionality.
While in some circumstances imposing restrictions on the internet and communications may serve a legitimate military purpose, such as denying belligerent forces a means of communicating with one another and carrying out attacks, any such restrictions need to also comply with the principle of proportionality, which prohibits actions in which the expected civilian harm is excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage.
The blanket and widespread shutdown of the internet and civilian communications, being imposed by the Iranian authorities, would not be justified under international humanitarian or human rights law, taking into account the significant harm this inflicts on civilians and the lack of proportionality in such sweeping bans, Human Rights Watch said.
In their 2015 Joint Declaration on Freedom of Expression and Responses to Conflict Situations, United Nations experts said that even in times of conflict, the use of communication “kill switches” (i.e. shutting down entire parts of communications systems) can never be justified under human rights law.
The government should restore unrestricted access to the internet and communications networks throughout the country. The international community should also support internet access for the civilian population.
“The international community, including policy makers and companies, should explore technical and regulatory measures to help civilians access the internet in conflict settings,” Ilori said. They should also support populations affected by internet shutdowns, including by building out satellite connectivity for use in humanitarian contexts.
