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Afghanistan completely shuts down the internet  and not even VPNs can help

Date:
Wed, 01 Oct 2025 09:20:19 +0000

Description:
Taliban authorities cut internet connections to "prevent immorality,"
impacting "every aspect of peoples rights and lives," warn experts. Here's
what's at stake.

FULL STORY

Afghans are currently living in digital darkness as Taliban authorities cut
citizens off from the rest of the world in a bid to "prevent immorality." 

Internet watchdog NetBlocks began tracking a deterioration of internet
connectivity levels since early September. On September 25, experts recorded 
a pattern of curfew-style internet shutdowns across some regions of the
country. Everything collapsed on Monday (September 29) when the country fell
into a total communication blackout as both internet and telephone services
stopped working. 

While the best VPN services can generally help people to bypass
government-imposed restrictions and get back online, they need a live 
internet connection to work. This makes Afghanistan's internet shutdown even
more disruptive for citizens. 

According to #KeepItOn Global Campaign Manager at Access Now, Felicia
Anthonio, the Taliban's move comes rather as an attempt to tighten their
control over information flow, silence dissent, and shield human rights 
abuses from public scrutiny. 

"With so many restrictions already in place, this shutdown takes away the 
last remaining lifelines connecting the people of Afghanistan to the outside
world," Anthonio told TechRadar.

The toll of Afghanistan's internet shutdown

As NetBlocks and Cloudflare Radars measurements show, all web and DNS traffic
dropped to zero after the cutoff at a national level. IP address
announcements, a system that provides internet services by linking groups of
servers, also fell by two-thirds within the first twenty minutes of the
blackout. 

Beyond these technicalities, in practical terms, this means that most 
citizens are unable to get online. 

Mix the internet shutdown with the ongoing telecoms blackout, and you have 
the perfect recipe to prevent all Aghans from communicating with anyone  both
in and out of the country. 

"The little information emerging from Afghanistan shows that the internet
blackout is having a profound impact on every aspect of peoples rights and
lives," Anthonio confirmed to TechRadar. 

Fear and panic are fueling concerns among concerned citizens who cannot reach
out to their loved ones. From education, health, and employment to travel and
e-commerce, people also struggle to access essential services. 

Internet access is anything but a luxury. 

"For millions in Afghanistan, it is a lifeline," Anthonio told TechRadar. 
"For women, girls, journalists, and marginalized communities, already pushed
to the margins by Taliban policies, connectivity is often the only way to
participate in society."

Beyond VPNs 

Every time governments enforce online restrictions, people turn to
circumventing tools like virtual private network (VPN) apps to spoof their IP
address and grant access to blocked content. 

This time, however, it's the whole internet that is in the dark. Hence, VPNs
cannot do the trick, leaving Afghans with very limited resources to keep the
information flow going. 

According to Proton VPN 's General Manager, David Peterson, the last time 
that such a nationwide internet blackout occurred was in mid-June in Iran,
lasting for three days. During most internet restriction events, Proton VPN
users are still able to tunnel through to the outside world. But not when the
internet is totally unplugged.

Anthonio explains that satellite connectivity offered by Starlink and similar
services is becoming a common alternative for people and communities facing
internet blackouts. 

There's just one problem  pricing and availability are still a barrier for
most people experiencing the aftermath of an internet shutdown. 

This has then brought people to use foreign SIM cards or satellite phones
instead. Yet, this method comes with a cost for Afghans, and it's not about
money. 

"The Taliban has shown willingness to retaliate against those who defy their
orders," explains Anthonio. 

What's needed right now, according to Anthonio, is for the international
community to step in support of the rights group demanding an end to the
violation of peoples rights in Afghanistan. 

While the Afghanistan situation is particularly dire, the Taliban is far from
being the only government disrupting the internet to push forward a political
agenda. 

Commenting on this point, Anthonio said: "Sadly, this move follows a familiar
pattern in the authoritarian playbook, where authorities are increasingly
normalizing the use of internet shutdowns to deny people their human rights."

======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/afghanistan-completely-shut
s-down-the-internet-and-not-even-vpns-can-help

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