Protests continued into October with the movement showing no signs of slowing down. The chants of Woman, Life, Freedom can still be heard across Iran. Iranian authorities continue to rely on the use of violence and deadly force to crack down on protests. In an effort to prevent the free flow of information and suppress freedom of expression, authorities continue to deploy internet restrictions and shutdowns to mask the human rights violations taking place at the hands of the government and to disrupt the protests.
This month, authorities justified the ongoing internet shutdowns and restrictions as a security measure and added that the blocking of popular international platforms, such as Instagram, would be resolved should they agree to comply with domestic laws. These national laws include enforcing the criminalisation of the sale of VPNs, which the ICT Minister, Eisa Zarepour spoke about in an interview, further hinting at the arrival of government-backed “legal VPNs”. These VPNs would give a select group of people access to specific international services as approved by the government.
This month, The Intercept released a report on a surveillance system known as “SIAM” used by Iran’s Communications Regulatory Authority to control, monitor, and threaten mobile phone users, providing a rare glimpse into the insidious surveillance systems used by Iranian authorities. Find out more about this report and other internet policy related updates below: 
Member of Iran’s Supreme Council for Cyberspace: “The Internet Was Restricted for Security Reasons”
In an interview on 2 October, Ezatollah Zarghami, a member of Iran’s top internet policy making body, the Supreme Council for Cyberspace (SCC) and Minister for Cultural Heritage commented on the recent internet shutdowns and disruptions stating that the have been implemented in reaction to “riots, disruptions, and some destruction taking place across the country … until the situation has passed.” He added that the decision to restrict the internet was made for “security reasons.”
Iranian authorities have long been citing “security reasons” for using internet shutdowns and restrictions in protests areas, however, these measures are deployed to restrict the flow of information within the country and from information being posted on international platforms while authorities commit human rights violations such as the disproportionate use of force and killing protestors to silence demonstrations.
Iran’s ICT Minister: “Efforts Being Made to Criminalize the Sale of VPNs”
On 19 October, Iran’s ICT Minister, Eisa Zarepour commented that the sale of VPNs is unauthorized in the country, however, it had not yet been enforced through criminalisation and prosecution but efforts are being made to make this possible.
Given that as of September 2022, the last few remaining popular international social media and messaging platforms, Instagram and WhatsApp, were blocked by the authorities, Iranian users have no choice but to rely on VPNs to access them. However, Zarepour’s emphasis on the sale of VPNs points to a long-term plan for the rollout of the “legal VPNs,” which we have written about before. Legal VPNs are government controlled and backed, and users can apply to receive a VPN for specific reasons such as their occupation or other reasons which they need to provide in their application. Through this scheme, the government can exert total control over the content accessed by Iranian users.
Draft “Roadmap for the National Expansion of Artificial Intelligence” Published By the Telecommunications Research Centre of Iran
On 14 October, the Telecommunications Research Centre of Iran, the research arm of the ICT Ministry published the draft “Roadmap for the National Expansion of Artificial Intelligence” which sets out the aims and objectives and benefits of using AI in different sectors such as transport, education, health, agriculture, and industry.
“Data and Information Management” Law Passed to the Government for Implementation
On 27 October, Iran’s Parliament or Majles passed the “Data and Information Management” to the government for implementation. The bill was passed into law earlier this year, which is aimed at giving greater centralized government control over data held by public bodies with the aim of “harmonizing data sharing” between government bodies for e-government services. We have already written about the dangers of e-government services in Iran. In light of the lack of data protection laws in Iran, the sharing of data between government bodies is vulnerable to misuse for surveillance, prosecution, and discrimination of those in the country.
Google Services Blocked by Iranian Authorities in a Targeted Move
On 30 October, a number of Google services such as Google Chrome, Google Maps, Google Meet, Gmail, and Google doc, and other services were blocked by Iranian authorities.
The fresh wave of blockings was likely triggered in reaction to the Google Play Store’s “Play Protect” feature (Google’s built-in malware protection for Android) blocking the government backed social media app Rubika citing “security concerns”. While Rubika has publicly denied these claims, we have already written about Rubika committing user privacy violations in the past.
Iran’s Government Spokesperson: “We Welcome Instagram if they Comply With Our Laws” Weeks After the Government Blocked the Platform
On 11 October, which marked around three weeks following the blocking on Instagram and WhatsApp, the Government Spokesperson Ali Bahadori Jahromi commented that “any platform that complies with global and national laws will be welcomed and supported.”
Instagram was blocked by the government on 21 September just after protests following the death of Mahsa Jhina Amini began. It is unclear how long the blocking of the platform will be in place, however, the move has a significant impact on freedom of expression in Iran, and for those who rely on Instagram as an income stream. Users will now have to rely on VPNs to access the platform or be forced to use insecure domestic platforms instead.
Intercept Report Reveals the Use of a Surveillance System by Iran’s Communications Regulatory Authority to Track Mobile Users
On 28 October, The Intercept published a report based on hacked documents leaked to them revealing the use of a surveillance system known as “SIAM” by Iran’s Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) to spy on mobile phone users.
SIAM reportedly provides a range of options to its users to monitor the use of mobile phones, including slowing internet connections, tracking users’ movements and location, providing call records, and giving access to the list of websites and IP addresses users have connected to among other functions.
This report provides a rare glimpse into the use of surveillance systems used by Iranian authorities which has long been suspected but limited details have been available. In light of the intense and ongoing protests across Iran over the past few months, this report provides us with evidence of the threats posed by authorities to protestors.
Increasing Number of Cyber Attacks on Iran’s Critical Infrastructure
On 29 October the Commander in Chief of the Civil Defence Organisation, Gholamreza Jalali claimed that Iran’s infrastructure had experienced 120 attacks in 20 days, 90% of which Jalili claims have been defended against. Jalili’s claims come as Iran’s national services and infrastructure have suffered heavy cyberattacks in recent months and years, with the hacktivist group Anonymous taking down several state affiliated websites and leaking information online. Our bi-annual report, HackerWatch, documents cyber attacks targeting Iran and has more details of some of the previous cyber attacks from the first six months of 2022.
New Bill Introduced in Majles for Funding Fixed Fiber Optic Network Expansion
On 8 October, a new Bill for ‘Creating a Fund for Fixed Fiber Optic Broadband’ was introduced in the Majles (parliament) aimed at creating a government fund to be accessed by network operators for the expansion of fiber optic networks. The ICT Ministry is also already planning for giving fiber optic access to 20 million subscribers over the next three years. While mobile internet has had immense reach across Iran, fixed broadband use heavily lags behind, and improvements have been one of the priorities for the current government.
Irancell and Communications Regulatory Authority Reach an Agreement on Fiber Optic Expansion
On 22 October, one of Iran’s biggest telecommunications companies, the majority state-owned Irancell, and the CRA announced an agreement on a project for the expansion of fiber optic networks (FTTx) in the country. Fixed broadband networks currently mostly rely on slower ADSL connections, with less than 1 percent of the network using FFTx. According to targets set by the SCC, over the next three years, 80% of households and 100% of businesses are to receive broadband coverage with average speeds of 25 MB/Ps and 20 million households and five million businesses are to have fiber optic network coverage.
While improving fixed broadband coverage and speeds – which is currently much lower than mobile internet – has been a priority for the SCC for the past few years and is moving ahead by the ICT Ministry, internet connectivity remains heavily disrupted and restricted amid ongoing protests across the country.
Iran’s Communications Regulatory Authority Publishes Latest Figures on Internet Access in the Country
On 29 October, Iran’s Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) released its latest figures on internet penetration rates in the country. According to the figures, the number of fixed broadband stands at 10,979,000 subscribers, the equivalent to a 12.96% penetration rate, showing a slight drop from a reported 13% from earlier this year. Mobile internet users, however, continue to grow, with subscribers exceeding 101 million and a penetration rate of over 120%.
Mobile internet continues to be the main method for going online in the country, and during protests, Iranian authorities aimed to disrupt mobile connections. The government also continues to pursue measures to improve the rate of fixed broadband use in the country by investing in fiber optic infrastructure.
Iran’s Plan for Supporting Domestic Satellite Internet Services
On 9 October the Head of Iran’s Space Agency, Hassan Salariye commented that the Agency is looking to “support” and “work with” to create a cluster of small telecommunication satellites to be “launched in the next two years.”
With the constant use of internet disruptions and internet shutdowns in Iran by authorities – especially in recent months in light of protests – satellite internet services – predominantly Starlink – have gained much attention as a potential method for circumventing the shutdowns and providing unrestricted access to the internet. There are numerous challenges with connecting those inside Iran to international satellite services such as Starlink, which we have previously written about here. Meanwhile Iranian authorities have been commenting that they would allow satellite services to operate in the country if they comply with national laws and claims of working on domestic satellite services. Though given the current economic challenges faced by Iran, it is likely to be a long time before such plans materialize.
Government Support Scheme for Businesses Affected by Internet Filtering
On 24 October, the government announced a new “support scheme” for businesses affected by the recent blocking of Instagram in September amid protests, which was an income stream for many businesses and individuals in the country. The scheme includes packages for advertising businesses via the state broadcaster, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) and potential tax breaks for affected businesses who have suffered a loss in following the latest wave of internet restrictions, and potential support for those who have migrated to domestic platforms.
Details on how businesses can qualify or how the rollout of this support will take place is unclear, however, many online businesses inside Iran have been reporting heavy losses as a result of the blocking of Instagram and internet shutdowns, despite the government downplaying their impact.
Extension on Tax Exemptions Issued for Software Developers
On 30 October, the Office for Tax Affairs issued a notice which provides a tax exemption for “licensed software developers” for the previous tax year, which is said to “support competition” in software development in the country. As part of the planning for the National Information Network (NIN), the government has been providing support to grow domestic services and content as the next layer of the NIN.
Phase One of the Iranain Cryptocurrency, “Ramz Rial” is Launched
On 29 October, the Head of Innovation at Iran’s Central Bank, Mehran Mehrmianm, announced the launch of phase one “Ramz Rial” has been launched in Iran’s National Bank and Mellat Bank. During this phase, a limited number of people and businesses have been selected to use the new crypto currency.
