Iranian Christians Are Getting Secret Access to the Internet Again

BTJ has been receiving phone app messages from Iran this week, which has been a huge change. Iran’s Internet has been shut down since the war started at the end of February. Iranians sending messages outside of the country has not been easy. Applications like WhatsApp, Signal, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, etc have all been blocked.

However, since the ceasefire has started, some BTJ partners have found ways to get access to Internet. “We don’t have Internet here,” one message read on May 6. “I bought 1 Gigabyte for 500,000 Toman ($6.46 USD).”

Iran’s successful shut down of the Internet has been made possible by China. The Iranian regime has relied heavily on imported Chinese technology, hardware and expertise to create its blackout.

Iran’s internet control system is called the NIN (National Information Network) and is copied after China’s “Great Firewall.” The system helped the Ayatollah keep a kill switch next to his finger to allow instant cutoff from the international community.

BTJ knew about this potential blackout long before it happened, because of the BTJ Hackers Conference that is hosted every year. BTJ Hackers were preparing for a potential Iranian Internet blackout long before the war took place because we were aware of the technology from Chinese firms like Huawei and ZTE to Iranian authorities control, block, and potentially shut down the Internet.

We had been studying Iranian facial recognition software that was imported from China’s system used in Xinjiang to identify and track Christian church leaders. We were also familiar with Iran’s new Centralized Gateways that direct international traffic through a single hub, simplifying surveillance and making it easier to impose a total blackout during civil unrest. And we have had experience with China’s surveillance cameras where an estimated 15 million were supplied to Iran by Chinese firm Tiandy to monitor 28 Iranian cities.

Not only is Iran using Chinese systems and equipment, but they are also sharing data between Tehran and China in real time.

China’s systems have been implemented and now Iran’s Internet is now fully cut off from the rest of the world. This is completely reshaping how millions of Iranians communicate, work and navigate daily life. Everything has changed including banking systems, payment methods, transportation, and access to information.

Iran launched the ‘kill switch’ soon after the war with the US and Israel began on Feb 28 to keep from their people sharing the real situation with the rest of the world and it has created serious disruptions for individuals and businesses. Any lead role the Iranians had in the global community has now evaporated.

But now the people are finding ways around the system and a dark net system has emerged. Though most of Iran’s 93 million people have been effectively cut off from the global internet, there is a small group that is creating a system around it.

Though the people cannot legally get on to Internet, the government and its cohorts are given access through special SIM cards called “white cards.” However, several brave Iranians have been smuggling in StarLink units to illegally access the outside world.

The Starlink devices are the most reliable ways of bypassing the Beijing supported “kill switch.” The white, flat terminals, paired with routers, provide internet access by connecting to a network of satellites owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company, allowing users to completely bypass Iran’s heavily controlled domestic internet.

Each terminal allows several people to connect at the same time. BTJ has smuggled units into the country to provide Internet access to Christians serving the underground house church.

BTJ is not alone. The human rights organisation Witness estimated in January that there are at least 50,000 Starlink terminals in Iran and that number has likely risen since the war started. The BBC contacted SpaceX for more details about the use of Starlink in Iran, but did not receive a response. Starlink is providing support, but trying not to highlight their efforts.

Last year, the Iranian government passed legislation that made using, buying or selling Starlink devices punishable by up to two years in prison. The jail term for distributing or importing more than 10 devices can be up to 10 years. That punishment is likely to increase.