Could Iran be building a Chinese-style internet system?

Key Points:

• Iran has imported Chinese technology aimed at creating a “permanent internet shutdown,” raising concerns about a controlled and heavily surveilled online ecosystem rather than a complete disconnection from the global internet.
• Experts compare Iran’s approach to China’s sophisticated internet censorship model in Xinjiang, which filters content, monitors users, and selectively controls access to information while allowing economic activity to continue.
• China is a key partner exporting censorship and surveillance technologies to Iran, enabling Tehran to potentially build its own isolated internet that restricts public access to government-approved content.
• Despite these efforts, Iran lacks the domestic technological infrastructure that powers China’s system and remains dependent on foreign services, making a permanent nationwide blackout unlikely in the near term.
• The Iranian government appears to be moving toward a digital control system that balances economic needs with extensive censorship and surveillance, raising significant human rights concerns about information freedom and privacy.