{"id":3287,"date":"2021-10-12T15:44:20","date_gmt":"2021-10-12T15:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/en\/?p=3287"},"modified":"2025-06-03T08:40:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T08:40:59","slug":"policy-monitor-september-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/2021\/10\/12\/policy-monitor-september-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Policy Monitor – September 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

In September, the Supreme Council for Cyberspace (SCC) held its first meeting since Iran\u2019s new President Ebrahim Raisi took office. The meeting, which coincided with the beginning of the academic year, focused on online education. The subject of online education, which became the subject of significant concern and attention following the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a significant issue in Iran. A year on from the pandemic, ensuring free access to the country\u2019s education platform is yet to be clearly implemented and enforced, which threatens to exclude students from marginalised groups from access to education.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s private sector also came under significant pressure from both international and domestic forces. A number of popular apps such as the video sharing platform Aparat and the navigation app Balad were removed from the Google Play Store. According to the apps\u2019 creators, Google cited US sanctions as the reason for their removal. Meanwhile, Iranian authorities took action against a number of private tech companies which has caused further anxiety within Iran\u2019s private tech sector about the number of roadblocks and restrictions they face in order to be able provide services to Iranians.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This report is supplemented by our monthly Network Monitor<\/a> which provides the latest on internet disruptions and shutdowns in Iran.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Supreme Council for Cyberspace Holds is First Meeting Under Ebrahim Raisi\u2019s Administration<\/b><\/h2>\n

On <\/span>14 September<\/span><\/a> the Supreme Council for Cyberspace (SCC) held its first meeting under Ebrahim Raisi\u2019s administration, with the new President serving as chair. According to a statement from the SCC, the meeting focused on online education, and the Ministry of Education\u2019s online learning platform known as \u201cShad\u201d. The SCC called for the platform to offer \u201cfree content\u201d and for the Ministry of Education to be responsible for issuing licenses for private sector organisations to produce content for the platform. The platform was created by the Education Ministry in collaboration with Hamrah-e-Aval (MCI) in April 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Council also granted approval for Iran\u2019s Planning and Budget Organisation to allocate a budget line for the \u201cexpansion of online education\u201d and to provide \u201cfinancial assistance for teachers and students in need\u201d in the annual budget.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Online education services have been a particularly thorny issue in Iran since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic forced a switch to online learning. The rapid shift to online learning has particularly disadvantaged students in poorer, more rural regions where connectivity and access to devices remains more limited.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the Majles legislating for the platform\u2019s usage to be exempt from data tariffs (and therefore free), it was announced earlier this year that the scheme would be <\/span>replaced<\/span><\/a> with \u201cstudent SIM cards\u201d containing free internet packages allowing \u201caccess to educational content\u201d set by the Ministry of Education, adding further confusion around access to the app. Additionally, these SIM cards allowing access to whitelisted content as approved by authorities are another step towards the implementation of \u201c<\/span>layered filtering<\/span><\/a>\u201d in Iran.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The SCC\u2019s latest meeting does not clarify how Shad will be freely accessed by users following the ICT Ministry\u2019s <\/span>announcement<\/span><\/a> in June that Shad\u2019s data tariff exemptions would be discontinued.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Members of the Parliamentary Joint Special Committee Created for Review of Dangerous \u201cCore Online Services\u201d Bill\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

On <\/span>7 September<\/span><\/a> the names of a number of MPs set to serve as members of a joint parliamentary committee to review the <\/span>\u201c<\/span>User Protection and Core Online Services<\/span><\/a>\u201d<\/span> Online Services\u201d bill (Referred to as <\/span>\u0637\u0631\u062d \u0635\u06cc\u0627\u0646\u062a <\/span>in Persian) were announced.<\/span><\/p>\n

The committee is set to be made up of members from several parliamentary committees. So far, the following names have been reported by domestic outlets:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n