Digital Citizens (Week 03 | 2026): How to shut down a revolution and opaque algorithms

Welcome back, Digital Citizens! 👋

This week's Digital Citizens explores internet shutdowns as tools of oppression, examining how Iran's regime uses sophisticated infrastructure to control communications during protests. We also cover the UK's new Cyber Action Plan - noting some of the gaps! Uber drivers are striking over algorithm changes that could see commissions reach 49%, while the Grok AI controversy deepens as authorities investigate deepfake generation. On a lighter note, we explore the "analogue bag" trend as a digital detox solution, offering practical tips to reduce phone dependency and reconnect with offline life.

In this week's edition:

• 🚨 Internet shutdowns: how to shut down a revolution (or try to)
• UK Government publishes Cyber Action Plan
• Uber drivers strike due to algorithm update
• Grok AI backlash continues
• Digital detox with an analogue bag
• Question of the week

🚨 Internet shutdowns: how to shut down a revolution (or try to)

As mass anti-government protests erupted across Iranian cities, internet traffic slowed to a halt, taking the country almost entirely offline on Thursday 8th January, as reported by the Internet Outage Detection and Analysis database. Internet shutdowns have regularly been used by the Iranian government as a tool to suppress opposition by restricting communication and isolating protesters from the outside world. Iran already has one of the most restrictive internet access policies in the world, with many western websites and services blocked, allowing unrestricted access to just a handful of government officials and loyalists.

The result: digital apartheid.

A vast array of communication restrictions have been reported in this latest shutdown: POS and ATM machines have been rendered inoperable, international phone calls have been blocked and GPS signals jammed in an effort to prevent protesters using Starlink to access communication services. Despite similar tactics being deployed before, notably in 2011 and 2019, this shutdown appears to be far more severe - and is likely to last for quite some time. At least until the governing regime is satisfied it has suppressed this latest round of protests.

How is a nationwide internet shutdown even possible?

Researchers have found all Iranian internet traffic appears to pass through a single chokepoint. This allows the authorities to block the specific websites and services they choose, by applying techniques such as DNS poisoning, HTTP filtering and TLS filtering, to a single point on the national network. Individual Internet Service Providers (ISPs) likely apply their own filtering - as required by the authorities - but the evidence suggests manyrestrictions are applied at a national level. This would be possible by utilising Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) systems, which the Iranian regime is said to have purchased from China’s ZTE Corporation at a cost of $130 million. So, by investing in advanced surveillance systems and requiring all ISPs to use government-controlled infrastructure, the Iranian regime is able to control and suppress the nation’s communications as it chooses.

UK Government publishes Cyber Action Plan

The UK Government published its updated Cyber Action Plan, outlining how the cyber security and digital resilience of public services will be strengthened in the face of increasingly sophisticated threats. Central to the plan is the establishment of a Government Cyber Unit with over £210 million in investment and four strategic objectives: improving visibility of risk, tackling severe and complex vulnerabilities, enhancing incident response capabilities, and rapidly building resilience government-wide. However, the plan has been criticised for failing to offer meaningful support and guidance for the private sector and critical infrastructure. Although the plan discusses software supply chain risks, it doesn’t address the risks associated with open source software or the rising popularity of vibe coding. Lastly, recent supply chain attacks which resulted in high profile incidents such as the 2025 cyber attack on Marks & Spencerare thought to be the result of social engineering, as opposed to software vulnerabilities.

Uber drivers strike due to algorithm update

January 12th saw Uber drivers stage a UK-wide strike due to a major change in the platform’s terms of service, fuelled by an algorithm update. In contrast to traditional private hire billing models, where drivers pay the taxi firm a flat weekly fee to, Uber charge drivers a variable commission. The firm previously stated it aimed to keep this commission rate at around 25% of each fare, though research showed higher rates were often charged, leaving drivers out of pocket. This has lead to protests by drivers, arguing the firm’s opaque algorithm that powers its ‘surge pricing model’ is impossible to understand. However, the latest update means the ride share app will charge drivers as much as 49% commission. In a further change to its driver contracts, from January 2026 onwards Uber will act as an ‘agent’ rather than a supplier. This means it can avoid paying the UK’s new ‘taxi tax’ as it will not be required to charge VAT on fares.

Grok AI backlash continues

Last week we reported on the backlash against the Grok AI agent due to concerns over it’s ability to generate indecent images. This story is simply not going away, much to the dismay of Elon Musk, who claims critics of his X platform “want any excuse for censorship”. French authorities now plan to investigate the proliferation of explicit deepfakes generated on the platform. In addition, UK Technology Secretary, Liz Kendall, issued a statement warning further action is to be expected in the coming weeks, including ‘bringing in to force powers to criminalise the creation of intimate images without consent’. As stated by Emma Pickering, from charity Refuge, providing perpetrators the tools to create violent, misogynistic images amounts to the ‘monetisation of abuse’. Such deep-fake technology can have a profound psychological impact, as it perpetuates gendered violence against women and can be used to humiliate, silence or control. We will continue to monitor this story as it unfolds.

Digital detox with an analogue bag

Let’s round off this week’s edition on a lighter note: mobile phones. As we know, mobile phones - particularly smartphones - are ubiquitous in today’s society. Long gone are the days of mobiles being considered luxury items. They are now an everyday essential, used for everything from entertainment and learning to shopping and paying our bills. However, a recent poll of 2000 Giff Gaff users found that as many as 47% wanted to cut down on their mobile phone use. Common habits that people wanted to curb included: taking multiple identical photos, scrolling until falling asleep, and frequently checking for notifications. Although mobile phone addiction is not recognised as a disorder in the DSM-5, excessive mobile use has been associated with a range of psychological and physical health issues, from anxiety and depression through to headaches and carpal tunnel syndrome. If you’re concerned about your mobile phone usage and are looking reduce it this year you might try the below:

• Avoid using your phone for 20–30 minutes after waking up and before going to bed.
• Switch off unnecessary notifications.
• Create phone-free moments, such as meal times.
• Set time-limits for using specific apps.
• Set time aside to re-connect with the offline world.

One way to do the latter, is to identify the reasons why we often reach for our phones and pack a bag with analogue alternatives, such as a newspaper, a book or a sketch pad.

Question of the week

Reply to this email and let me know your thoughts! I’m curious to read your answers.

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Thank you for reading.

Stay curious, stay critical - and stay connected!

All the best,

Byron