Comment on Iran’s internet blackout left people in the dark. How does a country shut down the internet?

DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

• whyNotSquirrel@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Ham Radios

  Image

  source

  • booly@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    Ham Radios

    ABSOLUTELY HARAM

    source
  • DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    OMG I didn’t get the joke until someone mentioned “haram” 🤣

    source
• aeroplayne@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  My Iranian friend was talking to me about the Internet blackouts. I mentioned the ham radio thing.

  He told me I would be hung by the regime, but only after being severely tortured for at least a week first.

  source
• A_norny_mousse@feddit.org ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  Stock traders use shortwave radio to transmit digital data. Over long idstances it is apparently faster than the internet.

  So yeah, there are always options.

  source

  • altkey@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    Probably easier to do rather than laying your line through different jurisdictions and plots of someone’s property.

    source
• lepinkainen@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  Meshtastic would work too. But it’s banned in many countries. Or specifically devices that transmit in a specific frequency

  source

  • DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    Meshtashtic isn’t really much better, in fact, its worse, the frequency is higher, therefore, it doesn’t penetrate obstructions well, compared to like VHF (which can be pocket sized, like a walkie talkie), or HF (which is essentially like a console size). The only advantage is that, in some jurisdictions, it doesn’t need license, and can legally re-transmit. All the legal benefits goes out the window when the country is authoritarian, so ham radio frequencies are much better for Iran.

    source

    • lepinkainen@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      On the other hand Meshtastic nodes can be solar powered and independent. You can easily build a big-ish mesh with a couple hundred western monetary units.

      It also uses common frequencies with every single wireless weather display and garage door opener and wireless outlet.

      Also HAM operators are required to not encrypt their traffic and are licensed/registered, thus easily found and their equipment taken away.

      Neither is perfect tho

      source

      • aBundleOfFerrets@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

        Licensing and encryption controls again, do not apply in authoritarian countries. You are already breaking the law by circumventing the communications blackout.

        source