Iran's internet blackout let the regime crush protests out of sight, and the resulting fear is keeping people off the streets — bad news for the protest movement and good for the regime's grip on power.

• With the internet cut, the outside world could not see the killings that followed.
• The scale of the violence terrified parents, who are now telling their kids to stay home and stop protesting.
• Fear that the regime will kill the next wave of demonstrators is doing the government's work for it.

Outlook: As long as the blackout hides what happens to protesters, the street movement is likely to stay suppressed.