The administration of the president who promised that “internet speed should not affect gamers” ended unexpectedly with a helicopter crash in May 2024. However, his legacy regarding the internet and the “right to free access to the internet” remains enduring.
Although some initiatives such as the national internet, tiered internet access, privacy and user security violations, and filtering began before the thirteenth government, it was during Ebrahim Raisi’s administration that some of these measures became legally entrenched and advanced to a point where reversal now seems unlikely.
The Seventh Development Plan: Raisi’s Destructive Legacy for the Web
The Seventh Development Plan, prepared in 2023 by Ebrahim Raisi’s administration, gains special significance as the late president had declared that his sole “plan is to implement it.”
But what does the Seventh Development Plan envisage for the internet? The most controversial provision of this legal document is Clause A of Article 103, which mandates that representatives of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology must cooperate with the Ministry of Intelligence, the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the Passive Defense Organization.
The full text of Clause A of Article 103 states: “The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is obliged, in coordination and cooperation with the Ministry of Intelligence, the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the Passive Defense Organization, and by utilizing companies and institutions with licenses or security audit certificates from the Information Technology Organization of Iran, to provide security services, and to conduct annual evaluations and rankings of the cyber security of executive bodies in accordance with the standards and regulations approved by the Permanent Committee of Passive Defense. Reports of these actions must be presented to the three branches of government as required.”
The justification for this collaboration, as stated in this clause, is “to provide security services and to conduct annual evaluations and rankings of the cyber security of executive bodies in accordance with the standards and regulations approved by the Permanent Committee of Passive Defense, as communicated by the Supreme Council of Cyberspace.”
Although there was already close cooperation between security agencies and the Ministry of Communications before the approval of the Seventh Development Plan, such as the appointment of a prominent security and intelligence figure as Minister of Communications during Hassan Rouhani’s administration, the approval of this provision by the eleventh parliament gave a legal facade to the involvement of security agencies in the digital domain.
Another provision of this development plan that endangers citizens’ digital security is Article 75. It states that “executive bodies and database holders subject to this provision are required to continuously and comprehensively provide data to this system online.”
“Online” means that whenever a user is active or “online,” their data must be registered in a system located in the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. This system is named the “Continuous Monitoring and Assessment System of People’s Lifestyle,” and its purpose is “to measure the level of religiosity and morality of the people.”
The Raisi administration’s objective in proposing the establishment of this system was stated as the collection and assessment of people’s lifestyle information in the form of electronic data.
At that time, digital rights activists warned that the Seventh Development Plan “targets people’s private lives” and described Article 75 as “implementing the protection plan under the guise of development.”
Article 75 of the Seventh Development Plan showed that the then-government of the Islamic Republic was determined to “monitor people’s movements, transactions, and other activities on platforms and seemingly implement parts of the protection plan under the Seventh Development Plan.”
The protection plan also included provisions such as the requirement for “user identity verification,” “storage and analysis of user data,” and more.
Performance Contrary to Election Promises
Ebrahim Raisi came to power with promises such as “developing internet infrastructure,” “supporting digital businesses,” “protecting security and privacy,” and “free access to information.” However, only three months after forming his government, in October 2021, he instructed the National Center for Cyberspace and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to rigorously pursue the completion of the National Information Network.
Isa Zarepour, Raisi’s Minister of Communications, promised parliament during his confirmation session on August 22 that he would implement the National Information Network plan within four years.
For years, the Iranian government has sought to implement a plan to separate the domestic internet (intranet) from the global internet under the guise of establishing a “National Network,” derived from security concerns and the need to control protests, suppress dissent, or censor news of crackdowns. This plan was initially set to be implemented by 2016 but has been delayed for various reasons.
The concept of a “National Internet” in Iran began during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency and was subsequently pursued by various communications ministries under the title “National Information Network.”
According to estimates by the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, approximately 19 trillion tomans had been spent on creating the “National Internet” by 2021. Support for the “National Internet” intensified after the Supreme Leader of Iran in March 2021 criticized the unregulated nature of cyberspace in Iran, which he described as “out of control,” and criticized responsible authorities for not restricting it. Following this, the “Protection Plan for Cyberspace” was placed on the parliament’s agenda, and the Raisi administration pursued the “completion of the National Information Network.”
Internet restrictions, which began in November 2019 due to protests over gasoline price hikes with the filtering of Telegram, intensified in September 2022 with the filtering of Instagram and WhatsApp, making social media platforms virtually inaccessible.
These restrictions, coupled with economic stagnation, have created a challenging environment for online businesses.
According to a report from the Research Center of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) in the manufacturing and services sectors was 53.28% in June 2023, while it was above 60% in June 2022, indicating economic recession.
Although there are ways to circumvent internet filtering and restrictions, the online marketplace remains sluggish and unimpressive.
In the first half of 2022, before Instagram restrictions, which was the most popular social network in Iran, the head of the E-Commerce Development Center had stated that “the turnover of the online market was 1230 trillion tomans.”
This figure represented a quarter of the total liquidity of 5401 trillion tomans in Iran at that time. However, these statistics pertain to companies and businesses registered with the Ministry of Industry, Mining, and Trade, having an electronic trust symbol (eNAMAD) or being members of the relevant union, so the actual figure is likely much higher than the reported amount.
According to the E-Commerce Development Center, Instagram’s financial turnover before its censorship was “between 25 to 30 trillion tomans, accounting for about 2.7% of the total financial turnover of the country’s e-commerce. If we add advertisements, stories, and other activities on Instagram to this figure, it would account for about 3.5% of the financial turnover in this domain.”
According to a report by the Iranian technology and startup media outlet “TECHRASA,” before the restrictions, there were between 310,000 to 470,000 daily purchase and sale orders on Instagram, which directly provided employment for one million people.
Since its establishment, the Islamic Republic has aimed for comprehensive oversight of society to maintain religious order. The various facets of this strategic approach can be seen in restricting mass media, internet filtering and limitations, cultural engineering, election manipulation, harassment of activists, suppression of civil society, and ignoring citizens’ rights.
For the architects of this policy, comprehensive societal oversight cannot be realized without controlling virtual networks.
Thus, it can be said that the government has turned to technologies that significantly enhance the capability for comprehensive surveillance over the lives of citizens in both the real and virtual worlds. This policy can be observed in cyberspace and in dealing with those who have approaches contrary to the Islamic Republic’s policies.
There is not a day without news in the media about threats, arrests, punishments, blocking of virtual pages, and other judicial actions. In cities, these smart tools are also used to identify, threaten, and punish women who, in the official language of the government, “remove their hijab.”
Raisi’s Favorite: Filtering
Ebrahim Raisi remarks during the 2021 election debates criticized internet filtering, stating, “I am on social media, have two million followers, and receive many issues through this medium.” However, during the nationwide protests of 2022, platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram, along with several other websites, were restricted from free access.
Subsequently, Signal, a messaging app known for its high security and strong encryption, was also filtered. In October 2022, Google Play Store faced restrictions, including complete access block and limitations on downloading and updating apps from the store. Even services like Cloudflare and certain games were subjected to filtering.
The impact went beyond just a few casualties, with new restrictions leading to severe internet disruptions, frequent outages, and turning the internet into a mere tool of control. Over the past five months, it has become commonplace to hear daily reports of issues within Iran’s internet network.
Simultaneously, Raisi’s government increasingly pursued the plan of tiered internet access.
“Tiered Internet” is a term referring to the provision of internet access with varying quality and speed for different social and economic groups. In this model, individuals have access to different levels of internet quality and speed based on their social class, occupation, or financial capability.
This concept suggests a division and stratification of internet access, which can lead to digital inequality in society. Digital rights activists have criticized the tiered internet plan, saying it “increases digital inequality,” “reduces social justice,” and limits freedom of expression. A campaign opposing tiered internet access gathered over 17,000 signatures.
Two months after the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests and severe internet disruptions, special internet access was reintroduced for journalists, though not as extensively as before. Initially, around 60 journalists received unfiltered internet access, according to a “Shargh Network” reporter.
This list gradually expanded to about 120 journalists as managed by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
Currently, amid widespread internet disruptions and frequent outages for the general public, some journalists from reformist, principlist, and independent media outlets have unfiltered internet access for using Telegram, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Around the same time, the Ministry of Industry, Mine, and Trade also intervened, requesting “open internet” for industry and trade professionals through correspondence with the Ministry of Communications. Simultaneously, doctors, through their associations and the Ministry of Health, sought to ensure they also received special internet access.
In a report, Rooidad24 stated that nearly all institutions that requested unfiltered internet received it, although the Ministry of Communications has not provided exact figures. Concurrently, the idea of “unfiltered SIM cards” for tourists was proposed by the thirteenth government.
Ebrahim Raisi’s lasting legacy for the internet is not just its degradation but also the violation of the “right to free access to the web.” This legacy will take a long time to change and may remain unchanged due to the overarching policies of the Islamic Republic.
