As the conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran stretches into its fifth week, millions of Iranian civilians find themselves trapped without internet access or any reliable missile alert system. An estimated 93 million people inside Iran are cut off, along with 4 million members of the Iranian diaspora trying to reach loved ones.
An app called Mahsa Alert, developed by Holistic Resilience — a group of engineers focused on internet freedom — is attempting to fill the gap. Named after Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old whose death in the custody of Iran’s morality police in 2022 sparked widespread protests, the platform uses crowdsourced intelligence to warn civilians of potential strike targets.
During the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June 2025, Holistic Resilience first identified the gap in civilian protections. Ahmad Ahmadian, the organisation’s executive director, says volunteers verify roughly 100 tips daily from social media posts, Telegram messages, and analysis of around 18,000 CCTV cameras across the country.
The work is grueling. Team members have been putting in 16-hour stretches, often through the night, to push alerts in real time. The effort is entirely self-funded, Ahmadian insists: it’s something people need, and it saves lives.
With internet connectivity inside Iran estimated at less than 1%, official evacuation notices from the Israel Defense Forces, posted in Farsi on X, rarely reach their intended audience. For displaced civilians who find themselves in unfamiliar areas, the app provides offline maps of hospitals, blood banks, government checkpoints, and shelters.
The Iranian government has accused the volunteers of spying for Israel and the U.S., launching cyber attacks against the platform and deliberately feeding false information to undermine credibility. In one case, a tip claimed missiles were being launched from a university building that turned out to be a girls’ dormitory — likely an attempt to mislead targeting and create propaganda opportunities.
Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 has documented a surge in Iranian-related cyberthreat activity since the conflict began in late February. Despite the harassment, Holistic Resilience continues operating from within the shadows.
“This is not our war. This has never been our war,” Ahmadian said.