While Israel and Iran exchanged missiles, ordinary citizens lost their connection to the web. The internet has become collateral damage.

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Can geopolitical conflict break the internet?

One of the invisible casualties of modern war is the loss of internet access.

On the night of June 17th, 2025, virtually everyone in Iran lost access to the web in what was described as a “near-total national internet blackout.”

At first, it was unclear if Israeli drones or missiles had destroyed Iran’s internet infrastructure in a targeted strike. But it was the Iranian government that shut down its own internet.

“Many of the enemy’s drones are managed and controlled via the internet, and a large amount of information is exchanged this way,” Fatemeh Mohajerani, Iran’s government spokesperson, said ([link removed] ) . “A cryptocurrency exchange was also hacked, and considering all these issues, we have decided to impose internet restrictions.”

2024 was the worst year on record ([link removed] ) for government-imposed internet shutdowns, with 296 outages across 54 countries. Seventy percent of the global total of internet shutdowns came from four countries ([link removed] ) : India, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Russia. The primary cause of internet shutdowns was internal or geopolitical conflict.

This week’s newsletter explores how geopolitical conflicts and domestic unrest are disrupting the digital world—from internet blackouts and cyberattacks to propaganda wars and AI-driven disinformation.

// What happens to the internet when conflict starts?

Geopolitical conflicts now have sweeping consequences for the digital landscape.

Sanctioning the internet to protect national security

There is a long history of countries shutting down the internet ([link removed] ) in the name of national security. In 2023, the Indian government shut down the internet in the state of Punjab ([link removed] ) during a manhunt for a Sikh separatist. In the search for one man, roughly 27 million people lost access to mobile data and SMS services for four days.

Censoring the digital media

Countries engaged in geopolitical conflict have often restricted journalists from freely reporting. As Iran launched missiles at Israel last month, the Israeli government imposed restrictions ([link removed] ) on how the media covers the war. Journalists were under strict guidelines to avoid unintentionally aiding Iran by reporting on locations of missile strikes or positions of Israeli air defense systems. In 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, it imposed similar media censorship measures ([link removed] ) , blocking access to Facebook, the BBC, and other foreign news outlets. It also punished anyone who spread “false information” with up to 15 years in prison.

Hacking “civilian tech” to gain on-the-ground intelligence

Civilian technology tools, such as phones, tablets, and home cameras, represent an expanded, omnipresent frontier of technology that geopolitical actors can leverage during moments of conflict (as Russia attempted to do by hacking into Ukrainian tablets in 2023 ([link removed] ) ). Civilian tools also represent critical technology that researchers, investigators, and citizen journalists can use to expose abuses of power (for more, check out the work of Bellingcat ([link removed] ) , a global, independent investigative collective of researchers, investigators, and citizen journalists).

Restricting internet access as a tool of geopolitical control

Regulating internet access is a new form of government control. The Tigray War ([link removed] ) , an armed conflict between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and the Ethiopian government from 2020 to 2022, led to the world’s longest internet blackout. For those two years, Tigray, a region in northern Ethiopia that is home to over 5 million people, was without internet ([link removed] ) and telecommunications services, leading to challenges in delivering humanitarian aid to the region.

Quelling internal protests

Facing widespread internal protests, governments restrict internet access to regain control. In 2019, Iran imposed a six-day internet blackout after widespread protests erupted across the country in response to the government’s introduction of gasoline rationing and fuel taxes. Internet usage across the country was down 96% ([link removed] ) . In 2021, after the Myanmar military seized power in a coup, one of the first actions they took was to cut internet access ([link removed] ) across the country. Cuba is another example; in 2021, it shut down access to its internet ([link removed] ) in response to protests. And Bangladesh shut down its internet ([link removed] ) last year for similar reasons.

Distributing disinformation and propaganda campaigns

State actors rely on digital channels to disseminate AI-powered disinformation campaigns and propaganda. In 2024, Taiwan was rated the country most affected ([link removed] ) by disinformation for the 11th consecutive year, according to V-Dem, a group that measures global democracies. Taiwan’s National Security Bureau said the number of pieces of false or biased information distributed by China increased by 60% from 2023 to 2024 ([link removed] ) .

// A decentralized internet

And yet, despite state-backed efforts to control information, suppress independent media, and manipulate digital channels for political and geopolitical gain, the internet’s decentralized foundation—one designed to empower individuals over central authorities—continues to serve as a powerful tool for civic agency and digital resilience.

Here are three ways people are circumventing internet restrictions and state-backed campaigns to control digital spaces.

- Circumventing censorship and internet shutdowns

To navigate around censorship, citizens are resorting to a wide range of circumvention measures ([link removed] ) , including encrypted messaging platforms such as Signal and Telegram, VPNs, mesh networks (which allow users to maintain communication with one another without relying on the internet), private servers, and peer-to-peer platforms like Briar ([link removed] ) . During the 2019 protests in Hong Kong, protestors relied on the mesh network Bridgefy ([link removed] ) to facilitate peer-to-peer communications.

- Maintaining and restoring connectivity

Switching to satellite internet, like Starlink, is another way citizens are accessing the internet during periods of limited or no connectivity. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, SpaceX, the company behind Starlink, activated satellite internet service ([link removed] ) throughout the country. Today, everyone from Ukrainian civilians to the military uses the network of 47,000 Starlink terminals ([link removed] ) . In Myanmar, as many as 3,000 Starlink units ([link removed] ) have been smuggled into the country.

- Countering disinformation and propaganda

AI-powered disinformation is more difficult to detect, which means addressing it requires a comprehensive “whole of society” response. Under the influence of Chinese propaganda and disinformation campaigns, Taiwan has adopted a multifaceted approach ([link removed] ) , relying on government institutions, independent fact-checking groups, and private citizens to identify and call out disinformation. Fact-checking groups UkraineFacts ([link removed] ) and VoxCheck ([link removed] ) have provided a similar service during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Bellingcat ([link removed] ) has also helped expose authoritarianism through open-source investigations.

// An internet for the people, by the people

As geopolitical tensions escalate, the internet has become both a weapon and a shield in times of conflict. From encrypted messaging to satellite networks, citizens are proving that the internet's decentralized spirit cannot be easily extinguished by authoritarian control or geopolitical conflict.

Project Liberty news & updates

// Project Liberty Institute participated in the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Oslo this past week, where we held a series of workshops and talks. Check out the IGF wrap-up here ([link removed] ) .

// Project Liberty Institute CEO Sheila Warren joined Market Reads for its debut episode on the biggest fintech and digital asset news of the last month. Watch here ([link removed] ) .

📰 Other notable headlines

// 🇧🇷 Brazil ruled that social media platforms are responsible for users’ posts, according to an article in Rest of World ([link removed] ) . A new regulation from Brazil’s Supreme Court holds Meta, X, and other online platforms accountable for content and user safety. (Free).

// 📄 An investigation in The Markup ([link removed] ) found that California colleges and universities renew plagiarism and AI detection software year after year even though its flawed detectors are expensive. (Free).

// 🏛 An article in The New York Times ([link removed] ) explored how AI-generated content has begun to wear down democracy by misleading voters and discrediting the democratic process. (Paywall).

// 🤖 Sapiens author Yuval Noah Harari said that for the first time in tens of thousands of years, humanity has competition (in the forms of artificial intelligence), according to an article in The Wall Street Journal ([link removed] ) . (Paywall).

// 📞 Call center workers are tired of being mistaken for AI, according to an article in Bloomberg ([link removed] ) . (Paywall).

// 🎞 Everyone in Hollywood is already using AI (and hiding it), according to an article in Vulture ([link removed] ) . “We can say, ‘Do it in anime, make it PG-13.’ Three hours later, I’ll have the movie.” (Paywall).

Partner news & opportunities

// Fireside chat on the future of hacking

July 1 (today!) | 1:00-2:00pm ET | Virtual

During All Tech Is Human ([link removed] ) ’s next book talk, Dr. Laura S. Scherling will discuss her new book, “The Future of Hacking,” and share why understanding hacker culture is now critical for anyone concerned with cybersecurity and digital rights. RSVP to attend ([link removed] ) .

// The dangers of artificial intimacy

July 9 | 1:30-2:30pm ET | Virtual

An upcoming Human Change ([link removed] ) webinar will explore the emotional and romantic relationships between adolescents and AI companions. As AI-powered chatbots and digital companions become more advanced, an urgent question is emerging: What happens when teens start forming emotional and romantic relationships with artificial intelligence? RSVP to attend ([link removed] ) .

// Michael Sandel on AI’s “Age of Abundance”

The Center for Humane Technology ([link removed] ) ’s latest episode of “Your Undivided Attention” features philosopher Michael Sandel joining Tristan Harris to question who benefits from AI-driven prosperity—and how democracy and human dignity might fare in a post-work world. Listen here ([link removed] ) .

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// Project Liberty builds solutions that help people take back control of their lives in the digital age by reclaiming a voice, choice, and stake in a better internet.

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