Governments across the Middle East and the United States have blocked internet access, banned social media posts, and restricted commercial satellite imagery in connection with an armed conflict in Iran, creating barriers to independent verification of events on the ground. The restrictions followed the shootdown of an American aircraft over southwestern Iran.

The first signs of the shootdown appeared on the Telegram messaging app, where images of aircraft debris and a pilot's empty ejection seat were posted on pro-Iranian channels. Videos of search-and-rescue aircraft flying low over the mountains of southwestern Iran followed the initial images.

Iran has imposed a near complete internet blackout inside its own borders, limiting what civilians can send to the outside world. According to Ali Vaez, the blackout is relatively new for the country. The U.S. and Iranian governments are both attempting to restrict the flow of information from the conflict.

Satellite imagery often used to corroborate ground photos has been disappearing. Shortly after the start of the war in Iran, satellite provider Planet implemented a two-week delay in the imagery it shared with journalists and the public. The day after the plane went down, Planet announced it would no longer provide any recent images of the entire Middle East. In an email to customers, Planet wrote: "The U.S. government has requested all satellite imagery providers voluntarily implement an indefinite withhold of imagery in the designated Area of Interest (AOI). We expect this policy to last through the end of the conflict."

Planet and another American company, Vantor, both decided to limit access to satellite images. The two companies provide high-resolution pictures from satellites that make frequent passes over Iran and the Gulf.

In Gulf states, hundreds of people have been arrested or detained for posting videos of strikes and military facilities to social media. Abu Dhabi has arrested people for taking photos and videos during the war. Israel has imposed strict rules on what images citizens and journalists can and cannot post online.

"There is still video, there's still photos that are coming out, there's still some satellite images. But it's becoming harder and harder," Jake Godin, a senior researcher at Bellingcat, an independent organization that conducts open-source investigations, said.

The current restrictions mark a departure from recent conflicts. "Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been a torrent of media: photos, videos, and a lot of them released by Ukraine themselves," Godin said. During the Syrian civil war, citizens filmed events extensively, and barrel bombs were being dropped on homes with video appearing on YouTube within an hour, he added.

Susan Carruthers, a historian at the University of Warwick and author of "The Media at War," said the pattern of information control has deep roots. "Photos and newsreels of World War I trenches were heavily censored, and the public didn't know a great deal about the nature of World War I until it was over," she said. "States tend to be extremely jittery about how wars are reported when they themselves have some national investment," Carruthers added. "Governments hold a really entrenched belief that if people actually saw war in all its gory awfulness that it would be untenable to pursue military ventures," she said.