Iran bleeds $1.56M every hour from internet blackout restrictions amid economic crisis: analyst

Fox News - WorldCenter-RightEN 3 min read 100% complete by Emma BusseyFebruary 4, 2026 at 02:45 AM
Iran bleeds $1.56M every hour from internet blackout restrictions amid economic crisis: analyst

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

An internet privacy analyst estimates that Iran is losing $1.56 million per hour due to state-imposed internet blackouts and restrictions, significantly impacting its economy. The disruptions, which began amidst protests in January, have cost Iran an estimated $37.4 million per day and $215 million in 2025 alone. Simon Migliano of PrivacyCo calculated these losses using the NetBlocks COST tool, which measures the impact of internet shutdowns on a nation's GDP. While some connectivity has been restored, heavy state filtering persists, leading to a surge in VPN usage as citizens seek access to blocked platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram. The restrictions severely impact productivity, online transactions, and remote work within the country.

Keywords

internet blackout 100% iran 80% economic impact 80% internet restrictions 70% economic crisis 60% vpn demand 60% protests 50% state filtering 50% digital economy 40%

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Very Negative
Score: -0.70

Source Transparency

Source
Fox News - World
Political Lean
Center-Right (0.50)
Far LeftCenterFar Right
Classification Confidence
90%
Geographic Perspective
Iran

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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