Iran’s Internet Goes Dark as US Agencies Spar on VPN Funding
“Without the continuous operation of internet freedom programming carried out by the State Department and Open Technology Fund, millions of Iranians will lose their last secure window and voice to the outside world.”
Photographer: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images
US agencies are struggling to find the best method to fund additional software for millions of Iranian civilians to get around their government’s strict internet censors, amid a surge in demand over weeks of domestic unrest.
The State Department, US senators from both parties, and other US agencies have advocated for funding virtual private networks and anti-censorship technology programs that would allow about a quarter of the people in Iran to access the internet without the Islamic Regime’s restrictions.