A chilling 48-hour internet blackout in Afghanistan has exposed the fragility of Blockchain Decentralization and showcased the vulnerability to centralized internet providers and government control.
The nationwide internet shutdown in Afghanistan which began in late September 2025, disrupted connectivity for approximately 13 million citizens, highlighting the urgent need for decentralized internet infrastructure.
The blackout, initially attributed to “technical issues” with fiber optic cables by Taliban officials, was widely believed to be a deliberate move to suppress online dissent by the regime.
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The blackout marked Afghanistan’s first nationwide internet outage under Taliban rule, following earlier regional restrictions aimed at curbing “immoral” online activities.
A Call For Blockchain Decentralization
The crisis in Afghanistan showed the world the real problem; the lack of blockchain decentralization. It also proved how futile relying on centralized internet providers susceptible to government intervention or technical failures is.
Michail Angelov, co-founder of Roam Network, a decentralized WiFi platform, called the blackout “a wake-up call for blockchain decentralization.”
“When connectivity is monopolized by a handful of centralized providers, the promise of blockchain decentralization can collapse overnight,” he warned.
Roam Network rather innovatively crowdsources mobile signal data to create a dynamic map of connectivity, enabling devices to switch seamlessly between public carriers, private meshes, or peer-powered networks during outages.
This ensures users maintain access to blockchain-based systems, even when centralized infrastructure fails.
Communities have benefited from Blockchain Decentralization Globally
The Afghanistan crisis follows similar internet shutdowns for citizens in neighbouring Nepal and countries like Madagascar.
In Nepal, violent anti-corruption protests in 2025 triggered a social media ban affecting 26 platforms, including Facebook and WhatsApp. Nepalis turned to Bitchat, a Bluetooth-powered messaging app developed by Jack Dorsey, which saw over 45,000 downloads in 72 hours.
Similarly, Madagascar’s protests over water and power cuts spurred 71,000 Bitchat downloads in a single week, showcasing how blockchain decentralization principles underpin tools that bypass government censorship.
The Afghanistan blackout also echoes Iran’s 13-day internet shutdown in June 2025, where citizens resorted to proxy links to access restricted platforms.
Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePINs) are emerging as a solution to enhance blockchain decentralization. Projects like World Mobile, the largest decentralized network with 2.3 million daily active users across 20 countries, generated $9.8 million in revenue in August 2025.
Helium, the second-largest network, supports 1.3 million daily users across 190 countries with 112,000 hotspots, incentivizing users with token rewards. These networks reduce reliance on centralized providers, ensuring blockchain decentralization remains robust during crises.
Human Rights Watch’s August 2025 report detailed the Taliban’s intensified repression, including mobile phone inspections and media censorship. With 23 million Afghans requiring food aid and 400 health facilities shuttered due to funding cuts, the blackout exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis.
The report illustrates the immediate need for censorship-resistant tools rooted in blockchain decentralization. Angelov emphasized the need for decentralization to go beyond the protocol layer.
“If blockchain decentralization stops at the protocol layer, we’ve merely shifted control, not eliminated it”, he affirmed.
In this context, Afghanistan’s blackout reminds us that without decentralized infrastructure, the vision of a censorship-resistant future is nearly impossible.
