{"id":236843,"date":"2021-03-26T10:19:25","date_gmt":"2021-03-26T15:19:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=236843"},"modified":"2023-02-01T05:02:03","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T04:02:03","slug":"officials-express-fear-of-social-media-and-its-effects-on-irans-restive-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-protests\/officials-express-fear-of-social-media-and-its-effects-on-irans-restive-society\/","title":{"rendered":"Officials Express Fear of Social Media and Its Effects on Iran\u2019s Restive Society"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Iranian
Iranian regime cyber police<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With the growing public dissent in Iran, the regime\u2019s officials express their fear of social media and its effects on the restive society.<\/p>\n

During his yearly speech on the Persian New Year occasion (Nowruz) on Sunday, the regime\u2019s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, expressed his fear<\/a> of social media and its role in exposing the regime\u2019s weakness.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome try to create a negative impression [on social media] and show that we are headed for a dead end. In June, we have important elections ahead that can significantly impact the future of the system. Enemies make the most of cyberspace. Unfortunately, in our country\u2019s cyberspace, the necessary observations are not made, despite all the emphasis I have had. All the countries of the world are managing their cyberspace. But we are proud to have abandoned cyberspace. This is not an honor. This is not an honor at all; Cyberspace must be managed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Following Khamenei\u2019s remarks on Sunday, other regime officials echoed his fear of the social media and Iran\u2019s restive society.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe social media, like other technologies, has both edges of threat and opportunity. Idleness in social media is the greatest injustice [to the regime]. It is like handing [the social media] to the enemy so it could perform cognitive operations amid the economic warfare,\u201d Brigadier General Gholamreza Jalali, head of Iran\u2019s Civil Defense Organization, told state-run ISNA news agency.<\/p>\n

Before Jalali, Hossain Salami, the IRGC commander, in a letter to Khamenei on Sunday, announced the creation of another oppressive headquarters to control the social media and fight so-called \u201ccorruption.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour excellency should know that we will fight corruption. We will mobilize Basij groups and defeat the enemy and prevent them from implementing their policies. We will free the social media from idleness; we will stay in the field, we will cross the enemy strategy and help the [regime] to [circumvent] sanctions,\u201d read Salami\u2019s message<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Recently the regime\u2019s Judiciary Chief, Ebrahim Raisi<\/a>, tried to intimidate the public, also confirming the regime\u2019s fear of people. \u201cNo insecurity in society is tolerable; the police and security officials should let disruptors act,\u201d he said on Thursday, according to the state-run TV. Raisi is one of the main perpetrators of the 1988 massacre<\/a> of 30,000 political prisoners.<\/p>\n

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Iran: Who is Ebrahim Raisi?<\/div><\/div>
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