Cyber ​​police undermine Iranian president's promise of internet freedom

Contrary to President Masoud Pezeshkian's campaign promise to end internet censorship in Iran, the head of the cyber police reiterated on Wednesday his determination to maintain strict control.

Vahid Majid said restrictions on foreign platforms would only be lifted if they fully complied with the laws of the Islamic Republic.

Pezeshkian had previously boldly declared: “I will stand against filtering” and promised to “liberate” the Internet for the Iranian people.

In an interview with the official IRNA news agency, Majid criticized foreign platforms as “irresponsible” for failing to comply with Iran's demands, falsely claiming that compliance with local laws is common practice in developed countries. However, Iran has blocked thousands of websites for political content and issues such as images of women without hijabs – measures that are unusual in most developed countries.

He also stressed that lifting restrictions and bans on popular social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, X, Telegram and WhatsApp would require these companies to open official offices in Iran, essentially requiring them to submit to the very censorship that Pezeshkian had promised to fight.

For many voters, Pezeshkian’s promises offered a glimmer of hope in a country where the internet has been systematically choked off by the government. Over the past two decades, Iran has implemented extensive censorship, not only blocking thousands of websites but also severely restricting global social media platforms. Even traditional media, literature and films are heavily censored, with content scrutinized for compliance with Islamic principles.

Despite these measures, Iranians are fighting back, often using VPNs to bypass the restrictions and access the global internet. But this workaround comes at a price. The crackdown on internet freedom has decimated small businesses, particularly those run by families and women in rural areas who rely on social media to reach customers. The Islamic Republic's iron grip on the internet has crippled thousands of small businesses and further entrenched social and economic inequalities.

The ongoing censorship is part of a broader strategy by the Islamic Republic to maintain control over information and suppress dissent. In 2022, during the “Women, Life, Freedom” protest movement, the government escalated its efforts by filtering Instagram and WhatsApp. It even went so far as to demand that Meta, the parent company of these platforms, appoint a “responsible official representative” in Iran – a demand that Meta wisely ignored.

This tough stance was reinforced by the National Security Council and supported by Iran's security apparatus, including the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC intelligence agency. They accused Instagram of manipulating artificial intelligence algorithms to spread “fake news” and incite violence, repeating the system's long-standing narrative of blaming foreign influences for internal unrest.

As Pezeshkian's government takes shape, the appointment of Sattar Hashemi as the new minister of information and communications technology offers little hope for change. Hashemi, who previously served as deputy minister of technology and innovation, has made no promises to lift internet restrictions. Instead, his action plan simply proposes to “reform” the current implementation, which in the context of the Islamic Republic likely means maintaining the status quo.

In a larger effort, Iran is pushing ahead with the “national internet” project. This initiative, modeled on China's model of digital authoritarianism, aims to restrict VPN use and improve government surveillance capabilities.

Despite big promises and generous investments, this initiative has delivered little to ordinary Iranians. Instead, it has drained the state budget and enriched companies and allies aligned with the clerical rulers, while citizens struggle daily with the cost of accessing an increasingly restricted internet.