A confidential state project in Iran is reportedly underway to transform the country’s internet infrastructure, requiring workers and entities to obtain security clearance to get online as Tehran seeks to contain anti-government protests.

The project marks a shift from the government’s repeated use of nationwide internet blackouts during periods of unrest to a permanent system of permissions-based access. In a report released Thursday, FilterWatch, a US-based group that monitors internet freedom and information exchange in Iran and the wider Middle East, describes the plan as “absolute digital isolation.” It represents a new era in which the internet is no longer a right, but a government-granted privilege, FilterWatch said.

Context: On Jan. 8, authorities imposed a nationwide internet blackout in an effort to quell unrest and block information from reaching the outside world. Similar shutdowns were used during earlier periods of turmoil, including in 2019 and 2022. 

The current protests began on Dec. 29 after the collapse of the Iranian rial and widened into anti-government demonstrations. At least 3,428 activists have been killed by security forces, according to the Norway-based monitor Iran Human Rights, though the true toll remains difficult to verify because of the internet shutdown. The brutal crackdown appears to have broadly quelled the unrest, Reuters reported Friday, citing rights groups and residents.