By raising the prices of mobile internet packages by over 34% and removing the cheaper long-term internet packages in December 2022, the Iranian government has advanced its agenda of imposing the National Information Network on its citizens. Under President Ebrahim Raisi’s government, the internet price has gone up twice officially. The first time was inContinue reading “How the Iranian Government Pushes Users to the National Information Network by Raising Internet Prices “
Tag Archives: Digital Economy in Iran
Digital Market “Capitulation”: The Tiered Internet System in the Tourism Sector
Iran’s tourism industry is introducing a new system of tourist SIM cards that allow foreign visitors and tourism workers to access the internet without censorship. The system was inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo’s visit to Iran, which sparked a debate about internet freedom in the country. However, the system also reinforces the government’s plan to createContinue reading “Digital Market “Capitulation”: The Tiered Internet System in the Tourism Sector”
Policy Monitor – December 2021
The publication of our December 2021 Policy Monitor coincides with the second anniversary of the tragic shooting down of the Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 — which resulted in the deaths of all 176 passengers and crew on board — by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The victims of the tragedy are remembered onlineContinue reading “Policy Monitor – December 2021”
Policy Monitor – December 2020
The publication of our December Policy Monitor coincides with the first anniversary of the tragic downing of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which resulted in the deaths of all 176 passengers on board. The anniversary of the tragedy has been commemorated online under the hashtags #PS752 and #IWillLightACandleToo, inContinue reading “Policy Monitor – December 2020”
The Iran-China Partnership: A Bad Deal for Citizens and Tech Companies
In the early months of 2020 the Iranian government announced that the cabinet had approved the draft text of an agreement for a 25 year partnership with China. From the get-go the announcement received a significant amount of attention from the Iranian public and from high-profile political figures, despite few details being made publicly available. Continue reading “The Iran-China Partnership: A Bad Deal for Citizens and Tech Companies”
Iran’s “Legal VPNs” and the Threat to Digital Rights
On 13 April this year, the Secretary to the Supreme Council for Cyberspace (SCC) Abolhassan Firouzabadi announced that a regulatory guidance for “Legal VPNs” has been finalised by the Committee for Determining Instances of Criminal Content (CDICC). He also added that the ICT Ministry will be in charge of deciding who will have access toContinue reading “Iran’s “Legal VPNs” and the Threat to Digital Rights”
Policy Monitor – June 2020
In the June edition of Policy Monitor, we bring you the latest following the first meeting of the Supreme Council for Cyberspace in four months and the first in the current Iranian calendar. A recent session saw the SCC pass an important new resolution on the National Information Network – a project which continues toContinue reading “Policy Monitor – June 2020”
Policy Monitor – May 2020
With their attention still largely consumed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Iranian authorities have continued to move slowly on internet policy. Although it was another relatively quiet month for digital rights developments, May was far from uneventful elsewhere. According to official figures in May, Iran saw another significant increase in COVID-19 cases, following the relaxationContinue reading “Policy Monitor – May 2020”
Slow-Downs and Start-ups–Privacy and the Digital Economy in Iran
We explore some of the ways that the Iranian government and start-up community can do more to protect user privacy, and flag up concerns about the state’s appropriation of technologists.