US Frets Over Tehran's Starlink Jams, Forgets Own Cyber Blackouts
Al-Monitor breathlessly reports that Iranians are taking risks to skirt a government-imposed internet blackout, calling out Tehran for jamming Starlink signals. (Oh, the humanity!) This narrative, while highlighting real struggles for information access, conveniently bypasses the historical receipts of Western governments' own digital meddling. Remember when the US government, in 2011, reportedly
worked to disrupt internet and mobile networks in Libya and Syria to aid opposition groups then, and now, champions similar disruptions against adversaries? The hypocrisy is as thick as a Tehran dial-up connection. While condemning Iran, one might recall the US-imposed sanctions that restrict access to basic internet infrastructure, arguably contributing to the very 'blackouts' they now decry. It
appears internet freedom is only a 'universal right' when it serves a geopolitical agenda, otherwise, it's just a tool for 'regime change.' How many 'digital rights' crusades are funded by the very entities that once pioneered digital warfare?