IODA collaborated with @filter.watch and ASL19 to co-author a report on the 2025 shutdown of the Internet in Iran during the war with Israel. Key contributors included @radar.cloudflare.com @eldomador.bsky.social @ooni.org and more!

Access the report here: filter.watch/english/2025...

NEW: Apple notified several Iranians that they were targets of government spyware in the last year, according to security researchers.

Since 2021, Apple says it has notified people in 150 countries, but we don't always get to know which countries, so this is an interesting data point.

🔍This report underscores that digital security is no longer a purely technical concern—it’s a human rights crisis.

🔍Major social platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram were primary targets for phishing, impersonation, and account takedowns.
🔍Authorities increasingly used cyber tools for social control, seizing accounts for “violations” such as not wearing a hijab or defying Islamic lifestyle norms.

🔍Requests for digital security assistance soared:
+720% growth in individual requests
+70% in organizational requests (and +250% in minority and women’s rights sectors)

🔍Ethnic minorities—particularly in West and East Azerbaijan—saw a fivefold increase in targeted repression.
🔍Iranian activists abroad were targeted in countries including the UK, Germany, France, Slovenia, Austria, and Egypt.

🔍A surge in cyberattacks, phishing campaigns, and online censorship occurred during and after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.
Over 46% of digital security cases involved women, many of whom faced detention, torture, and even death sentences.

🔍For the first time, three Iranian individuals (two inside #Iran, one in Europe) were targeted by mercenary #spyware similar to #Pegasus—marking a shift from mass surveillance to targeted espionage.

Iran’s digital repression has entered an unprecedented phase.
According to the latest Iran Cyber #ThreatIntelligence Report by The Miaan Group, civil society in and outside Iran is facing a wave of increasingly advanced cyber threats.
miaan.org/wartime-cybe...
Key findings include:

#Iran is back online as of 05:00 UTC (8:30am local).

Iran Telecom Minister:
With conditions returning to normal, the state of communication access has reverted to its previous state.
x.com/HashemiSatta...

1/2 Iran imposed sweeping internet restrictions in the first week of Israel’s military offensive. key findings from Filterwatch’s report:
🔻Full internet shutdowns,including blocking SSH ports that helped maintain access🔻Incoming international traffic blocked a move not even seen in November 2019👇

Near-total Internet blackout in #Iran is continuing into a second day.

Iranian govt has confirmed it is intentional:
"In order to prevent the enemy’s misuse, international Internet access has been temporarily restricted."
t.me/khabaronline... (h/t @ammir.bsky.social)

NEW: Iran's government has now admitted it took down the internet in the country, arguing it was to protect against Israeli cyberattacks.

I spoke to two Iranians who live abroad and can't communicate with their loved ones back home.

"I haven’t heard from them in two days," said @ammir.bsky.social.

Following Israel's attack on #Iran, internet access has been disrupted in parts of the country. All #VPN services are disrupted, and access to the internet has become extremely difficult. Incoming traffic is heavily affected, while the NIN is operating without issues.
#KeepItOn

My technical analysis of the documents #Iran claims to have obtained by hacking #Israel has been published by Iran International. I had originally shared this analysis publicly on my LinkedIn.
www.iranintl.com/en/202506127...
#CyberSecurity #CyberTradeIntelligence

‼️ Yesterday, on 25th May 2025, #Vietnam started blocking access to Telegram.

This is the first time that we are seeing an instant messaging app blocked in Vietnam.

OONI data: explorer.ooni.org/chart/mat?pr...

#ooni #censorship #telegram

🎯Tomorrow, we’ll publish an investigative report revealing the full details how it works, what tools are used, and how individuals are being identified.
#Isfehan #Iran #hijab #WomanLifeFreedom

We commend @wired.com for dropping its paywall for FOIA-based reporting and hope other news outlets will follow its lead.

freedom.press/issues/wired...

1/
🚨 New Report Alert: The Silent War Against Ethnic Minorities and Civil Society in Iran
Our #cybersecurity team has just published an in-depth report analyzing cyber #threats targeting civil society and ethnic minorities in #Iran during the second half of 2024. 🧵
filter.watch/english/2025...

🧵How to Stay Connected During Internet Shutdowns
1/3 📵Internet shutdowns are increasingly used as a tool of repression, especially during political unrest. From mobile data blocks to full blackouts, these disruptions affect ethnic minorities, journalists, and religious groups in different ways.👇

3/3 The fight for unrestricted information continues. Read our full report to understand Iran’s battle against digital repression and how big tech & policymakers can help.
📎 filter.watch/english/2025...

1/5: The IRGFW report offers valuable insights into the internet censorship architecture in Iran. Drawing comparisons with China, it highlights how Iran has been inspired by the "Great Firewall of China," while adapting it to its own unique political and infrastructural conditions.

درباره روش‌های پیچیده #فیشینگ از جمله شیوه Quishing چه می‌دانید؟

youtu.be/TgcR9hLtnEg

۲/۱🔻آمادگی در برابر خاموشی‌های اينترنت نیازمند آموزش است. در این ویدیو، می‌توانید با بخشی از این آموزش‌ها به زبان بلوچی آشنا شوید:
youtu.be/XZuun8k-hbE