Tiered Internet is a concept that transforms internet access from a universal right into a special privilege for a select group. It refers to a type of internet access that, based on the segregation of domestic and international traffic, determines access to international internet content based on factors such as age, gender, occupation, education, and similar parameters.
What is currently happening in Iran precisely reflects this trend—a trend that has been designed and engineered over years and is not a temporary phenomenon or a result of daily political developments or war. This project dates back at least 13 years, with the idea of a “legal VPN” plan in 2012, and has been pursued as a sustainable policy, independent of ongoing political or social changes. Even when there was no crisis or protest, the development of tiered internet continued under titles such as internet for technologists, journalists, students, tourists, and so on.
Tiered internet by no means implies the lifting of filtering. The structure of internet censorship and restriction remains in its previous dimensions. The difference is that individuals deemed “authorized” by the government will have the possibility to access some or all internet content without filtering. This type of internet access, until now limited to providing “white SIM cards” (without internet access restrictions) for journalists or tourist SIM cards, is planned to define user access to the internet at different levels in the future. Different users, defined by a specific “tier,” will be authorized to access specific parts of the internet. This privilege will be granted to these groups through tools such as white SIM cards or legal and state-controlled VPNs, while the majority of society will continue to face slow, restricted, and heavily censored internet.
In such a structure, equality in internet access effectively disappears, and a type of structural discrimination is solidified. In this system, some individuals are considered “more equal” than others. For example, university professors may have access to platforms like YouTube, while students will be deprived of such a right; or certain specific journalists will have the possibility to use Twitter, but journalists not deemed “trustworthy” or the general public will remain deprived of access to this social network. The envisioned structure for providing tiered internet practically links access to information to individuals’ social or professional status, thereby systematically violating the principle of equality.
Tiered internet is part of a broader social engineering project whose main goal is to intensify control over cyberspace, restrict the free flow of information, and institutionalize discrimination within the digital sphere. The internet, which should be defined as a public right, has been transformed in the current structure into a tool for exercising political control and distributing privileges. This trend will deepen existing social divides and ultimately strip the concept of digital justice of any real meaning in Iranian society.
The implementation of this plan in Iran has been gradual and strategic, deliberately granting preferential internet access to influential groups—such as journalists and academics—in order to minimize public backlash.Initially, it is announced that journalists need broader access for their professional duties; in the next stage, it is stated that academics need better internet, and in this manner, step by step, the scope of this policy expands. This claim is supported by a detailed review of the key policies and official approvals that have shaped the development of tiered internet in Iran, outlined in the sections below.
Projects That Led to the Implementation of the Tiered Internet Idea
The path to tiered internet in Iran began not with a single law or decisive ruling, but with scattered and gradual ideas. The first spark ignited in March 2013 with the proposal of a “legal VPN”—an idea ostensibly aimed at securing international communications, which gradually laid the groundwork for dividing users into authorized and unauthorized groups. Shortly after, in July 2013, the pursuit of this idea was raised at the policy level, and the Ministry of Communications was given a two-week ultimatum to provide a legal VPN. However, this plan was not implemented due to a lack of infrastructure and public participation.
In August 2017, Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi, then Minister of Communications, announced during the launch of the first phase of the National Iranian E-Portfolio that negotiations were underway with the Prosecutor’s Office regarding the unblocking of social networks like YouTube and Blogspot for academics and researchers. Abolhassan Firouzabadi, then Secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, also stated, “We believe in stratification for purification.”
Between 2019 and 2021, the concept of the “legal VPN” advanced from a policy idea to the formal stage of regulation drafting. The initiative was spearheaded by the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, Iran’s top internet policymaking body, which oversees digital governance and security. During this period, the Council’s Secretary announced that the Working Group for Identifying Criminal Content—tasked with enforcing online censorship—was developing a directive to formalize differentiated levels of internet access. This marked a pivotal step in institutionalizing tiered access based on user classification.
Although the provision of the necessary legal infrastructure for legal VPNs had begun by April 2020, the implementation process encountered a structural obstacle. The legal part of the plan progressed, and even specific job categories for receiving access had been identified, but the technical part, which fell under the Ministry of Communications, remained unresolved. This executive bottleneck effectively disrupted and halted the plan’s implementation.
During the same period, the Ministry of Communications’ call for designing a system to identify encrypted traffic was a technical step to pave the way for user differentiation based on consumption and online behavior. Following this, limited plans, such as the implementation of managed internet for four specific groups, were put into effect, and instances of case-by-case unblocking (e.g., YouTube for journalists) emerged.
From September 2022 onwards, the revelation of some letters requesting unfiltered access from institutions, ministries, and media showed that tiered internet was being implemented silently. From the letter of the head of the Football Federation requesting the unblocking of the federation’s IPs, to the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad, Tasnim News Agency, and even the spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry, Mine, and Trade, all of whom had requested unfiltered access. The suggestion of “tourist SIM cards” for foreigners, the “Radar Game” plan for gamers, and initiatives like “Goshayesh” at Sharif University of Technology expanded the dimensions of this segregated access.
In 2023, during the final months of the 13th government, terms like “professional internet” replaced tiered internet, and special access for some users was normalized as a technical or legal advantage.
In October 2024, statements by the Minister of Communications emphasizing the need for “smart internet management”—alongside the President’s expressed concern about the widespread use of censorship circumvention tools—made it clear that the 13th government remained committed to advancing the tiered internet agenda. Evidence of this trend gradually became apparent: from providing unfiltered internet in Pardis Technology Park to the Minister of Science’s lobbying to unblock YouTube for professors and students; from the unveiling of the “Cyber Free Zones” plan to the beginning of registration for companies that are members of the Computer Trade Union for receiving “special international internet”—all were clear examples of the continued implementation of this policy at various levels.
Of course, in these years, in addition to the plans and ideas officially published in the media, more hidden patterns of internet access segregation were quietly implemented in the country. White SIM cards, whitelisting of specific domains and IPs, and the allocation of unrestricted internet to selected institutions and media, without any public approval, have practically created a parallel and discriminatory structure. During the 12-day war (May 2025), while international internet was completely cut off for the general public, unofficial reports and media evidence confirmed that some institutions, media, and officials still had access to unrestricted internet through white SIM cards and whitelisted IPs and domains.
This model of special access has an even longer history. In November 2019, concurrently with the complete internet shutdown during widespread protests, special access for specific groups was maintained through special SIM cards. At that time, an image of a letter with the letterhead of the Ministry of Communications was published on Twitter, according to which executive bodies were obliged to provide a list of websites, online operational systems, and international services they needed in an Excel file to be granted “whitelist” access.
A newer and more official form of this pattern can be observed in the “IP Whitelist Commitment Form” for cryptocurrency businesses. Based on a document published on the X social network, the Iran Blockchain Association, within the framework of its self-regulatory committee, has required businesses active in digital assets to complete and sign a form to obtain a license to operate and use the internet. This not only conditions selective access on registration, commitment to transparency, and acceptance of full oversight but also extends digital discrimination from the governance level to the digital economy.
Upstream Policies That Paved the Way for Strengthening and Implementing Tiered Internet
An examination of the policymaking process by various governmental bodies in this area reveals how different plans, bills, and approvals over the past years have provided the infrastructure and other prerequisites for implementing the “Tiered Internet” plan. For instance, the Computer Crimes Law (approved May 26, 2009), while ostensibly aimed at combating cybercrimes, practically laid the technical and legal foundations for wiretapping, user classification, and retention of traffic data.
Subsequently, the Plan for the Development of a Healthy, Useful, and Secure Cyberspace (approved March 1, 2015) opened the way for categorizing internet users based on demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and occupation. This quietly yet explicitly introduced the theoretical foundation of “internet with tiered access” into official policymaking discourse.
Following this, Resolution No. 266 of the Communications Regulatory Authority (approved November 12, 2017) implemented the economic segregation of user access by entering the realm of tariff setting and officially defining domestic and international traffic. From separate tariffs to determining preferential ratios for domestic traffic, everything was adjusted to push users towards consuming domestic content.
The approval of the Grand Plan and Architecture of the National Information Network on October 6, 2020, marked a shift from piecemeal regulatory measures to a comprehensive, strategic framework. This plan not only formalized tariff and quality incentives to promote domestic content, but also set explicit goals for domestic platforms to dominate overall internet traffic in Iran.
The Resolution on Protecting Children and Adolescents in Cyberspace (approved June 7, 2021) was another opportunity to introduce the concept of tiered access, this time based on age and cultural characteristics, into the executive structure under the name “protected environment.”
The Strategic Document of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Cyberspace (approved August 2, 2022) continued this path, approving clauses that explicitly called for prioritizing domestic platforms and services through relative advantages in access, tariffs, and quality. These strategies considered user segregation and encouraging their migration from foreign services as a governance objective.
In the same year, the Regulation on Supporting Freelancers Active in the Country’s Digital Economy (approved December 3, 2022) showed that policymakers had gradually moved beyond the level of general content and were now considering access differentiation for specific occupational groups; high-speed and stable internet only for those validated in a specific database.
In late 2023, the Plan for Examining Solutions to Increase the Share of Domestic Traffic and Counter Filtering Tools (approved March 6, 2024) clearly depicted a two-layered internet: access to government services only through domestic platforms, access to foreign services only through controlled channels, and differentiated treatment of filtering circumvention tools. This resolution institutionalized the gap between users—both at the service level and at the tool level.
The Regulations for Establishing the Iran International Innovation Zone (approved July 25, 2024) was another step forward. This time, not just based on age or occupation, but based on geographical location, a different level of internet access was considered for companies located in Pardis Technology Park. Special internet for a specific area, a clear example of location-based tiered internet.
Although Resolution 104 of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace—approved on December 25, 2024—was never officially published, leaked details revealed its unprecedented clarity on the tiered internet model. The resolution outlined measures such as filtering based on individual user profiles, restricting legal VPN access to specific occupations, and providing specialized internet access to elites, universities, and technology companies.
Subsequently, the Resolution on Policies and Requirements for Network Traffic Tariffing and Content Revenue Sharing (approved February 12, 2025, and communicated April 9, 2025) explicitly strengthened the economic mechanism of this segregation; different tariffs based on the origin and type of content and incentives for domestic content producers, finalizing everything that had previously been laid out in technical, cultural, and security layers, now in the form of an official economic policy.
And now, in the latest action in this area, the Regulation for Facilitating the Activities of Digital Economy Businesses was approved on July 15, 2025; a follow-up to a resolution that had previously been laid out on February 12, 2025, in the Supreme Council of Cyberspace to create a special committee in this field and was communicated on June 3, 2025.
This path was not a disconnected and random program; rather, it was a network of documents and policies that, brick by brick, shaped the edifice of unequal and segregated internet access for Iranian users.
Resolution to Support Digital Businesses or to Solidify Tiered Internet?
Although the text of the “Regulation for Facilitating the Activities of Digital Economy Businesses” was not publicly released, official statements from authorities suggest that this time, the doors to high-speed internet and open access will be opened not based on age, occupation, or geographical area, but primarily for “certain businesses.” Some media outlets have published parts of this resolution, including:
This committee will be formed with representatives from the three branches of government, security agencies including the Ministry of Intelligence, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the Law Enforcement Force, and will be chaired by the Secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace.
“This regulation and its committee have been drafted following a report presented at the session on February 12, 2024, regarding the problems of digital economy businesses.”
“If official digital economy associations submit a complaint to the Council Secretariat regarding any actions or decisions that seriously disrupt their activities, a committee must be formed within 48 hours to investigate the matter and then issue an order to halt the said actions and decisions until a more thorough review.”
This committee has been granted the right to immediately address requests and even suspend or cancel decisions by executive bodies.
Government agencies are obliged to implement the resolutions of this committee, and their enforcement is guaranteed through immediate referral to the judiciary and oversight bodies.
This committee is obligated to submit a performance report to the Supreme Council of Cyberspace every six months.
According to these published sections, the text of the resolution does not explicitly mention “tiered internet” or “user classification.” However, two important points exist:
- Lack of Transparency and the Likelihood of Continued Discrimination: The lack of public disclosure of this resolution’s draft and the non-transparent policymaking process increase the risk of discriminatory patterns being repeated under misleading titles such as “support” and “economic security for digital businesses.” As observed in the positions of the President, the Minister of Communications, deputies of the Ministry of Communications (such as Chitsaz), and the government spokesperson, even after the approval of this resolution, they ostensibly emphasize the principle of “free access” but in practice, under the guise of “supporting the digital economy,” they approve and implement discriminatory laws regarding internet access.
- Granting Security Powers with the Capability to Implement Selective Policies: Although the name “tiered internet” is not mentioned in the media version of the resolution, this resolution grants a committee with a security composition special decision-making powers. It is also stated that “business obstacles” must be removed, but it is not specified whether this removal of obstacles includes providing special internet access such as whitelisting or legal VPNs. However, the explicit statements of Amir Sayyah, acting head of the Economic and Regulatory Affairs Deputy of the National Cyberspace Center, at the “Internet and Future of Iran” event, who said that for some businesses, their IPs were opened during the war to solve their problems, and emphasized that the first practical output of this committee will be “opening IPs for some businesses,” confirm the implicit idea of tiered internet in this resolution.
This regulation makes no mention of the material or psychological damages and harms that platform users suffer as a result of sudden decisions, such as overnight internet shutdowns. Ehsan Chitsaz, Deputy for Policy-making and Planning for ICT Development, in an interview with “Shargh” newspaper, explained in response to this criticism that the main focus of the regulation is on supporting businesses, as they are the drivers of employment, production, and value creation, and improving their status will indirectly lead to an improvement in the quality of digital life for users.
A review of the set of plans, policies, and resolutions related to tiered internet shows that the government has always tried to remove groups such as journalists, academics, technology activists, and businesses—who are more vocal and influential demanders than ordinary users—from the ranks of public critics by granting them privileges such as special access. On the other hand, it aims to place these sensitive and influential groups within more defined frameworks and enable more precise control and monitoring of their digital activities.