I’m a product designer in Iran.
Over the past three weeks, as nationwide protests unfolded, the government cut much of the country off from the internet while people were being killed, arrested and silenced. NetBlocks described this as one of the most severe and sustained internet disruptions in recent years.
The blackout was almost total. Web pages failed to load, GitHub and cloud services became inaccessible, and video calls dropped. Even now, connections are unreliable and only a few VPNs work, often barely.
For designers and developers, being online isn’t optional because it is our workplace. Losing connectivity meant losing clients, income, ongoing projects and the ability to reach family. Still, many of us keep working, patching together every possible workaround to stay connected and keep our work alive.
Meanwhile, ordinary people risk their lives simply to demand basic freedoms and dignity. Staying online, sharing information and continuing professional work during a blackout is a form of digital resistance that may seem small but is necessary and brave.
This isn’t a technical glitch or poor infrastructure. It is deliberate digital repression.
If an Iranian designer or developer disappears from the internet, remember that it is often not because they gave up, but because they were erased from the network. Those who continue under these conditions are quietly resisting.
How can global design communities support professionals working under these conditions?
