Internet – War Watch

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Sluts, simps and body shaming: the rise of Africa’s manosphere
BySarah Johnson April 7, 2026

Experts have been alarmed at the growth of deep misogyny dressed up as self-help on social media. We profile seven men from across the continent who are gaining tractionIt is not just Europe and the US that are grappling with a growing landscape of mis…

Read More Sluts, simps and body shaming: the rise of Africa’s manosphere
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Donald Trump | Gaza | Internet | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | Technology | US-Israel war on Iran | World news

Iran’s internet blackout is longest national shutdown since Arab spring
ByAisha Down April 6, 2026

Iranian authorities cut access to internet on 28 February leaving many with limited information about warIran’s internet shutdown, which began shortly after the first US-Israel strikes in late February, is now the longest national-scale blackout since …

Read More Iran’s internet blackout is longest national shutdown since Arab spring
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X suspends 800m accounts in one year amid ‘massive’ scale of manipulation attempts
ByDan Milmo Global technology editor March 9, 2026

Social media company tells MPs of continual fight against state-backed efforts, with Russia being most prolificElon Musk’s X said it had suspended 800m accounts over a 12-month period as it fights the “massive” scale of attempts to manipulate the platf…

Read More X suspends 800m accounts in one year amid ‘massive’ scale of manipulation attempts
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Donald Trump | Gaza | Internet | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | US-Israel war on Iran | World news

Iran’s internet blackout could worsen human toll of war, say rights groups
ByAisha Down and Deepa Parent March 5, 2026

Experts say government’s shutdown means civilians are not seeing evacuation warnings before bombs hitMiddle East crisis – live updatesAs US and Israeli bombs continue to rain down on Iran, civilians are enduring the bombardment in the dark – cut off fr…

Read More Iran’s internet blackout could worsen human toll of war, say rights groups
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Internet blackout is tool of desperate regime to isolate Iranians, say experts
ByAisha Down March 2, 2026

Digital censorship analysts argue current outage is mostly about survival and control for the country’s rulersRoughly four hours after the first strikes hit Iran, the country was again plunged into a full internet blackout – severely curtailing both th…

Read More Internet blackout is tool of desperate regime to isolate Iranians, say experts
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | Benjamin Netanyahu | Censorship | Donald Trump | Gaza | Human rights | Internet | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Middle East and north Africa | Nuclear weapons | Palestinian territories | Petrol prices | Protest | World news

Iran appears to ease internet blackout as cost of shutdown mounts
ByAisha Down January 28, 2026

Experts say uneven connectivity suggests regime is throttling and filtering data as losses said to hit $36m a dayIranian authorities appear to have relaxed – but not removed – internet restrictions, in what experts say is a sign of the mounting costs o…

Read More Iran appears to ease internet blackout as cost of shutdown mounts
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Iran president’s son urges authorities to restore internet after protests blackout
ByPatrick Wintour Diplomatic editor January 25, 2026January 25, 2026

Yousef Pezeshkian says nothing will be solved by trying to postpone moment images of violent crackdown circulateThe son of Iran’s president has called for the internet restrictions in the country to be lifted, saying nothing will be solved by trying to…

Read More Iran president’s son urges authorities to restore internet after protests blackout
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Iran plans permanent break from global internet, say activists
ByAisha Down January 17, 2026

Report claims unrestricted online access will be a ‘government privilege’, limited to individuals vetted by regimeIran is planning to permanently break from the global internet, only allowing individuals vetted by the regime to connect online, accordin…

Read More Iran plans permanent break from global internet, say activists
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US lawmakers call on Donald Trump to restore internet access in Iran
ByRobert Tait January 14, 2026

Democrats and Republicans called on president to circumvent legislative process to implement ‘Freedom’ billUS politics live – latest updatesA bipartisan group of lawmakers is calling on Donald Trump to allow the US government to help open up internet a…

Read More US lawmakers call on Donald Trump to restore internet access in Iran
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An ecosystem of smuggled tech holds Iran’s last link to the outside world
ByAisha Down January 13, 2026

Despite internet blackout, a small number of Iranians are risking their lives to share messages as protests continueFor most of Iran, the internet was shut off on Thursday afternoon – the most severe blackout the country has seen in years of internet s…

Read More An ecosystem of smuggled tech holds Iran’s last link to the outside world