Dilrook Kannangara

The world’s oldest ideology-led regime has beaten Gen Z protests when far more flexible and democratic regimes have collapsed. Interestingly not so much by using violence but by using latest technology. The use of violence is unfortunate but failed to quell rioting and protests. Gen Z very heavily rely on the internet not just to connect and spread information but also as a daily routine. If a section of Gen Z resorts to regime change protests or political upheaval, the surest way to bust them is to cut off the internet. It has other casualties but it stops regime change operations in their tracks.

For right reasons and wrong, protestors and rioters in Iran came to the streets, caused mayhem and disrupted daily life. As in the past the old-fashioned regime used violence against them. It worsened unrest. As the last resort the regime cut off the internet service in the country. However, the US regime backed by the Starlink satellite services provider came to the rescue of protestors by providing Starlink satellite services and reestablished internet services for users with mobile devices. Iran was ready for this eventuality. Months prior to the protests Iran received Starlink jamming equipment from Russia. They did the trick.

This equipment, positioned within a certain distance from receivers, disrupts satellite signals in 2 ways. Firstly, it automatically identifies the frequency of the communication and creates noise in that very same frequency drowning out the signal. Secondly it uses an inherent vulnerability of the Starlink system to disrupt its users. Unlike geo-static satellites, Starlink satellites are not stationery. They travel comparative to ground locations. In order to keep servicing a receiver it relies on precise GPS coordinates of the receiver on ground which are passed on from one satellite to another. Jamming GPS disrupts this connection.

It costed Iran around $37 million a day which is not cheap but in the scheme of things it is far less than the cost of economic standstill and damage to property. Iran is a large country with dispersed cities around it. If it were a smaller nation the cost would have been far less.

Unable to connect and spread information, protestors gradually left the movement. At least for now. Confiscation of Starlink receivers also helped.

This will be an effective mechanism to quell riots and protests around the world. Modern world problems demand modern solutions. It does cause inconvenience to the community which in turn creates friction between the masses and protestors. Who holds their ground the longest wins. Some can’t go about their chores without the internet for a couple of hours! That is their vulnerability which can be exploited to tame them.