Since our gathering in Paris, two sovereign splinternets have formed and now maintain a stranglehold across Iran and Russia. This scenario was predicted by the SplinterCon community in Montreal late 2023, and we have been working on solutions ever since.
Since the beginning of the year, during mass public protests and in the subsequent wartime context, repeated shutdowns have disrupted international traffic, obscuring large-scale repression against Iranian citizens and preventing them from sharing information with the outside world. As most circumvention tools ceased to function, the efficacy of Iranian network filtering and satellite jamming systems was on display. The National Information Network has replaced the Internet for most Iranians.
Authoritarian governments also learn from each other — and they do it fast. Russia’s censorship regime has also intensified since January 2026. Allowlist censorship, initially introduced on cellular networks as “extraordinary measures to protect populations against drone attacks” has become the new reality, leaving only a tiny fraction of government-approved services and cloud infrastructure accessible to the population. Authorities have imposed administrative penalties against citizens who refuse to install government-backed services such as MAX messenger.
These sovereign networks are a harbinger of a splintered digital future, the examination and response to which has been the raison d’etre of SplinterCon. Technologies discussed during our latest get together, SplinterCon: Paris, are now being deployed and used in both Iran and Russia to help people connect with their families, document atrocities and share with the outside world.
This report cannot fully reconstruct the unique atmosphere of our 3-day Paris event, which took place at the historic headquarters of the French Communist party. It is, however, intended to equip you with the most relevant insights from our international and multifaceted community, highlighting that the Spectre of the Splinternet is already manifest across Europe and Asia.
In this edition, we have asked our keynote speakers to author specific sections of the report. The result is a polylogue of different voices and disciplines at work. The web version of the report offers text and full video recordings of most of the presentations.
