Swiss startup Proton said it saw daily signups to its VPN service balloon as much as 5,000% at the peak of the Iran protests compared to average levels. Russia saw a similar rise in demand for VPNs in March after Moscow tightened internet curbs following the invasion of Ukraine. Homegrown platforms like Tencent's WeChat are extremely limited in terms of what can be said by users. In China, for instance, they're often used as a workaround to restrictions on Western platforms blocked by Beijing, including Google, Facebook and Twitter. VPNs are a common way for people under regimes with strict internet controls to access blocked services. The Iranian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment. Tehran has sought to prevent the sharing of images of its crackdown and hamper communication aimed at organizing further demonstrations. Iranian authorities denied any wrongdoing and claimed Amini died of a heart attack.Īt least 154 people have been killed in the protests, including children, according to the nongovernmental group Iran Human Rights. Amini died under suspicious circumstances after being detained - and allegedly struck - by Iran's so-called "morality police" for wearing her hijab too loosely. 16 following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman. Nationwide protests over Iran's strict Islamic dress code began on Sept. Back then, peak demand was only around 164% higher than usual, according to Migliano. "The Iranian authorities' decision to block access to these platforms as the protests erupted has caused demand for VPNs to skyrocket," he added.ĭemand is much higher than during the uprisings of 2019, which were triggered by rising fuel prices and led to a near-total internet blackout for 12 days. "It allows protesters to organize and ensure the authorities can't control the narrative and suppress evidence of human rights abuses." "Social media plays a crucial role in protests all around the world," Simon Migliano, head of research at Top10VPN, told CNBC.
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