Against the backdrop of health and environmental emergencies, Iran\u2019s conservative and principalist-majority 11th Parliament began its term this month, electing President Rouhani\u2019s former presidential rival Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as the new Parliamentary Speaker with an absolute majority.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While the parliament worked on setting its agenda and filling positions for parliamentary committees, it was a relatively quiet month for the Internet in Iran \u2013 for the third month in a row, there were no meetings of the Supreme Council for Cyberspace. However, for the first time since the November 2019 internet shutdown, Iran\u2019s Interior Minister took formal responsibility for giving the shutdown order. Elsewhere this month, we have some more details on the ICT Ministry\u2019s unveiling of new digital economy projects.<\/span><\/p>\n Our monthly<\/span> Network Monitor<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>supplements this report with a technical analysis of network disruptions and internet shutdowns. Take a look at it to get a better sense of how internet disruptions affected Iranian users in May.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In a TV interview on <\/span>31 May<\/span><\/a>, Iran\u2019s Interior Minister, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli confirmed that he had ordered the November 2019 internet shutdown \u2013 which coincided with protests over rising fuel prices \u2013 in his capacity as the Head of the National Security Council. He cited public security as the reason for this decision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This is the first time an official has publicly claimed responsibility for ordering the internet shutdown. During the shutdown ICT Minister Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi <\/span>commented<\/span><\/a> that the decision was made by the National Security Council, but no further details were given. The November internet shutdown lasted for around seven days nationwide, cutting Iranian citizen\u2019s access to the global internet during the widespread fuel price protests, where <\/span>hundreds of protesters were killed or injured<\/span><\/a> by the country\u2019s security forces.<\/span><\/p>\n For the third month in a row, there is no record of Iran\u2019s top internet policy making body, the Supreme Council for Cyberspace (SCC), holding a meeting. The council\u2019s last recorded meeting was in February this year, before the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran intensified.<\/span><\/p>\n The SCC is required to meet every six weeks, however it appears that no official meetings have taken place since February. The mandate for the SCC, which is issued by the Supreme Leader was last renewed on 5 September 2015 for a period of four years has now expired and has not been formally renewed.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n On <\/span>28 May<\/span><\/a> four new \u201cDigital Economy\u201d projects were unveiled by ICT Minister Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi in the presence of President Rouhani. The projects, which focus on the growth and expansion of services on the National information Network (NIN) include:<\/span><\/p>\n During the unveiling ceremony, Jahromi presented figures relating to Iran\u2019s digital economy, claiming that according to the Statistical Centre of Iran, the country\u2019s gross digital economy production \u201cis at 4% [of GDP]\u201d. Jahromi also stated that the NIN core capacity had \u201cincreased by 300% from\u00a0 2013 to 2019\u201d, however, he was <\/span>corrected<\/span><\/a> by Rouhani that the figures showed a 30% growth, not 300%.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Expansion of online services and digital economy is one of the main pillars of the NIN, and the ICT Ministry has been under pressure for their shortcomings in this area for sometime.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n On <\/span>5 May<\/span><\/a> it was announced that a new circular from the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) has been issued to domestic messaging apps requiring them to inform Internet Service Providers and the CRA of any new services they offer so that the cost of their internet traffic can be calculated at a third of the cost of international internet traffic. The new circular is said to have been issued due to a complaint from a user about their international internet traffic being used when making video calls using domestic messaging apps.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Domestic internet traffic which uses the National Information Network (NIN) is calculated at half or a third of the price of international traffic, effectively ending net neutrality in Iran. This regulation is also used to incentivise the use of domestic online services and apps over international equivalents. This is particularly important as reliance on the internet has increased due to the spread of COVID-19 and its added financial burdens on the country\u2019s population.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to a report by the ICT MInistry on <\/span>17 May <\/span><\/a>\u00a0it is claimed that 1,578 villages were connected to the NIN and 632 villages were connected to mobile networks via operator Hamrah-e Avval (MCI), a subsidiary of the Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n According to this report 89% of villages with a population of over 20 families have been connected to the NIN, with the aim of reaching 100% by the end of the year. Additionally 93% of villages now have mobile network coverage with an aim of \u201creaching 100% for villages with over 20 families by the end of the year\u201d. The ICT Ministry has consistently sought to highlight the extent to which they have invested in infrastructure in rural areas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In an interview on <\/span>23 May<\/span><\/a> the SCC Secretary, Abolhassan Firouzabadi commented on the <\/span>longstanding<\/span><\/a> tension between the ICT Ministry and state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) over the management of 700MHz and 800MHz bands. In recent months Jahromi has revived the argument, asking the President to weigh in on the issue and give the ICT Ministry control of the frequency bands in order to help with increased network demands in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. Jahromi had also reportedly said that he would offer \u201cfree internet\u201d for the domestic education app \u201cSHAD\u201d if the ICT Ministry is given ownership of the frequency bands.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Firouzabadi said that the SCC has not yet been asked to deliberate on the questions. However, he said he could not see how the frequency could have relevance to the Shad app, as its traffic is \u201cnegligible\u201d and was mostly used \u201cat home\u201d so did not require mobile internet, which is at the heart of the dispute. He also added that the control of the frequencies by the ICT Ministry could have an impact on \u201cjob creation and the digital economy\u201d. He added that whether the ownership of the frequencies would be given to the ICT Ministry\u00a0 would depend on what the ICT Ministry would plan to do with frequencies but there are no \u201ctime pressures\u201d to make a decision as there are still \u201cglobal conversations on whether there is enough technological readiness for the frequencies\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The ICT Ministry lost the same battle to IRIB in a vote in parliament in <\/span>February<\/span><\/a> last year. It remains to be seen if the matter will be formally referred to the SCC for a decision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n On <\/span>16 May<\/span><\/a> it was reported that Iran\u2019s Cyber Police, FATA, and the Information Technology Organisation of Iran (ITO) are looking to collaborate on recommending an assessment framework to rank applications based on their \u201csecurity and privacy features\u201d. However, the assessment is said to be voluntary and apps are not required to sign-up to the scheme.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The move comes as a number of significant data leaks have compromised the security of Iranian users but with little to no action being taken as a result to investigate them or make attempts to ensure that better security measures are put in place to protect users more effectively in the future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As there are no comprehensive data protection laws in Iran, the lack of any legal requirements means that ensuring the security and privacy of users falls entirely on the private sector. The Iranian government must take immediate steps to address this legal vacuum by introducing data protection laws in line with international standards and the private sector must realise their duty and responsibility towards Iranian users, especially in light of recent events.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In an interview on <\/span>13 May<\/span><\/a>, the Social [Affairs] Deputy at FATA police, Ramin Pashai, warned that for women to not wear headscarves and hair coverings on Instagram is considered public disorder, and will therefore be pursued as a crime.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Instagram is one of the few international social media platforms that is unfiltered in Iran. There has been a surge in the use of social media platforms and Instagram\u2019s live feature as a result of social restrictions put in place due to COVID-19. There has been mounting criticism of the platform from political and religious figures, who call for the monitoring or filtering of the platform to prevent the spread of \u201cimmoral\u201d content and behavior.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In an interview on <\/span>20 May<\/span><\/a>, Abolhassan Firouzabadi, Secretary to the SCC claimed that the special working group at the National Centre for Cyberspace (NCC) - created by the National Headquarters for Management and Combatting Corona [Virus] they had recorded over 1,300 instances of \u201cfalse news, fraud, rumours and slander\u201d online and that all of these had been \u201cinvestigated\u201d or referred to Iran\u2019s Cyber Police, FATA.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There have been a <\/span>large number of arrests<\/span><\/a> reported for spreading \u201crumours and misinformation\u201d online since the COVID-19 outbreak was first reported in Iran earlier this year. The lack of transparency behind any detentions or arrests as a result of these charges are concerning as they could result in arbitrary detention or be used to\u00a0 prevent\u00a0 journalists and activists from providing the public with accurate information. Iranians must be able to have access to impartial, accurate information and to be being able to voice their criticism of the government without fear from prosecution or harassment. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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\"<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2357,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[62,57,70,58,79],"class_list":["post-2348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-network-monitor","tag-digital-economy-in-iran","tag-filterwatch","tag-irans-cyber-police","tag-national-information-network","tag-policy","entry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2348\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/policy.png\")
Interior Minister Takes Responsibility for Iran\u2019s November Internet Shutdown\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\nNo Supreme Council of Cyberspace Meeting for Third Consecutive Month\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/economy.png\")
Four New Digital Economy Projects Unveiled by the ICT Ministry\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/apps.png\")
Discounted Internet for Domestic Messaging Apps\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/infra.png\")
Over 1,500 Villages \u201cConnected to the National Information Network\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\nSecretary to SCC Comments on Tension Between ICT MInistry and State Broadcaster IRIB\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/cyber.png\")
FATA Police and Information Technology Organisation of Iran to Rank Security of Apps\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n\u00a0Warning from Iran\u2019s Cyber Police on Wearing Hair Covering on Instagram\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
Secretary to SCC: \u201c1,300 Prosecuted for Posting False Content Relating to Coronavirus\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n