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Expanding Freedom and Democracy
Freedom on the Net 2026

Iran

Not Free
9
100
A Obstacles to Access 5 25
B Limits on Content 3 35
C Violations of User Rights 1 40
Last Year's Score & Status
13 100 Not Free
Scores are based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free). See the methodology and report acknowledgements.
Iran_hero

header1 Overview

The Iranian regime is one of the world’s worst abusers of online rights, and internet freedom deteriorated substantially during the coverage period. As a result of the country’s tiered internet scheme, accessing the global internet is cumbersome and expensive, and a majority of Iranians are confined to a domestic version of the internet where authorities can more effectively control content and monitor online activity.1 The government deliberately shut down the internet during times of conflict and protest, including in June 2025 during a 12-day military conflict between Iran and Israel.2 Beginning in late February 2026, the regime implemented the country’s longest-ever internet shutdown, which lasted 88 days, amid the war with Israel and the United States.3 When nationwide antigovernment demonstrations broke out in January, the regime took similar steps to quell online protest mobilization and silence social media activism. Alongside a nationwide communications shutdown,4 authorities arrested over 50,000 demonstrators and security forces used excessive violence to quash the protests, killing at least 4,200 people.5

This report has been abridged for Freedom on the Net 2026. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource. For additional information, see the 2024 full report and 2025 abridged report.

A Obstacles to Access

A1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do infrastructural limitations restrict access to the internet or the speed and quality of internet connections? 5.005 6.006
A2 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Is access to the internet prohibitively expensive or beyond the reach of certain segments of the population for geographical, social, or other reasons? 0.000 3.003

Score Change: The score declined from 1 to 0 because service providers required Iranians to purchase “Internet Pro” packages in order to access less-restrictive online content,1 which were prohibitively expensive for a majority of Iranians amid historic inflation; access to virtual private networks (VPNs) and satellite internet hubs, which enabled some to circumvent government censorship, was also prohibitively expensive.2

A3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the government exercise technical or legal control over internet infrastructure for the purposes of restricting connectivity? 0.000 6.006

Score Change: The score declined from 2 to 0 because authorities implemented an 88-day internet shutdown that began in late February 2026, the longest internet shutdown in Iran’s history,1 amid the country’s military conflict with Israel and the United States.

A4 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are there legal, regulatory, or economic obstacles that restrict the diversity of service providers? 0.000 6.006
A5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do national regulatory bodies that oversee service providers, digital platforms, and the internet more broadly fail to operate in a free, fair, and independent manner? 0.000 4.004

B Limits on Content

B1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the state block or filter, or compel service providers to block or filter, internet content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 0.000 6.006
B2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do state or nonstate actors employ legal, administrative, or other means to force publishers, digital platforms, content hosts, or other intermediaries to delete content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 0.000 4.004
B3 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do restrictions on the internet and digital content lack transparency, proportionality to the stated aims, or an independent appeals process? 0.000 4.004
B4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do journalists, commentators, and ordinary people practice self-censorship online? 1.001 4.004
B5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are online sources of information controlled or manipulated by the government or other powerful actors to advance a favored interest? 0.000 4.004
B6 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are there economic, regulatory, or other constraints that negatively affect individuals’ ability to publish content online? 0.000 3.003
B7 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the online information landscape lack diversity and reliability? 1.001 4.004
B8 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do conditions impede individuals’ ability to form communities, mobilize, and campaign online, particularly on political and social issues? 1.001 6.006

Score Change: The score declined from 2 to 1 because the regime cracked down on antigovernment protests in January 2026 including by implementing a nationwide internet shutdown1 and killing thousands of demonstrators.2

C Violations of User Rights

C1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do the constitution or other laws fail to protect rights such as freedom of expression, access to information, and press freedom, including on the internet, and are they enforced by a judiciary that lacks independence? 0.000 6.006
C2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are there laws that assign criminal penalties or civil liability for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 0.000 4.004
C3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are individuals penalized for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 0.000 6.006
C4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the government place restrictions on anonymous online communication or encryption? 1.001 4.004
C5 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does state surveillance of internet activities infringe on individuals’ right to privacy? 0.000 6.006
C6 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does monitoring and collection of user data by service providers and other technology companies infringe on individuals’ right to privacy? 0.000 6.006
C7 1.00-5.00 pts0-5 pts
Are individuals subject to extralegal intimidation or physical violence by state authorities or any other actor in relation to their online activities? 0.000 5.005
C8 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are websites, governmental and private entities, service providers, or individuals subject to widespread hacking and other forms of cyberattack? 0.000 3.003

On Iran

See all data, scores & information on this country or territory.

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Country Facts

  • Population

    88,550,000

  • Global Freedom Score

    10 100 not free

  • Internet Freedom Score

    9 100 not free

  • Freedom in the World Status

    Not Free