Cloudflare recorded 18 cuts during July–September 2026. Iraq’s communications minister pledged a digital exam-distribution system that he said would remove the need for exam-day shutdowns.
Internet infrastructure company Cloudflare recorded 18 exam-related internet shutdowns in Iraq during July–September 2026, making the country responsible for nearly all government-directed disruptions in its quarterly count. Cloudflare is the sole source for the third-quarter shutdown figures. The company published its review on October 27.
The cuts continued measures announced earlier in the year. Internet Society Pulse said, citing local media, that Iraq’s Ministry of Communications announced on May 19 that internet access would be suspended during examinations. Cloudflare recorded shutdowns on June 2, 11 and 28, each lasting about 90 minutes. It said those government-mandated cuts were intended to prevent cheating in national exams.
| Category | Incidents |
|---|---|
| All disruptions worldwide | 49 |
| Government-directed shutdowns worldwide | 19 |
| Exam-related shutdowns in Iraq | 18 |
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Cloudflare placed three Iraqi shutdowns between July 1 and 8, and the majority between August 26 and September 28. It described individual interruptions as lasting roughly 15–90 minutes but also listed a 03:30–04:00 UTC window, which spans 30 minutes. The figures do not establish one consistent timetable.
Cloudflare Radar, the company’s internet-monitoring service, detects disruptions by observing traffic to Cloudflare customers. The incident count measures repeated interruptions, not the number of people who lost access. Cloudflare has not quantified the Iraqi traffic decline or identified the affected regions, providers or services in its quarterly review.
Iraq’s communications minister, Mustafa Sanad, confirmed the shutdown in a video message, Internet Society Pulse said in an account quoted by Cloudflare. Sanad pledged to develop a digital system that he said would eliminate centralised exam distribution and, consequently, the need to cut internet access on exam days.
The proposed system has no announced launch date. Cloudflare said it would continue monitoring Iraqi networks as development progresses.
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