{"id":326932,"date":"2024-12-21T21:02:51","date_gmt":"2024-12-21T20:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=326932"},"modified":"2024-12-21T21:04:14","modified_gmt":"2024-12-21T20:04:14","slug":"iran-news-officials-revelations-highlight-regimes-hypocrisy-and-failure-in-internet-censorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/society\/iran-news-officials-revelations-highlight-regimes-hypocrisy-and-failure-in-internet-censorship\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News: Officials\u2019 Revelations Highlight Regime\u2019s Hypocrisy and Failure in Internet Censorship"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FILE PHOTO: Young internet users in Iran<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three-minute read<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

As global internet access continues to grow, providing unprecedented opportunities for innovation and connection, Iran stands out as a stark outlier. The Iranian regime\u2019s oppressive control over the digital landscape has turned a global asset into a domestic crisis, characterized by heavy filtering, slow speeds, and systematic hypocrisy by state officials. Recent revelations by Abolhassan Firouzabadi,<\/a> former head of Iran\u2019s Supreme Cyberspace Council, have exposed the regime\u2019s deepening contradictions and failure to control the internet effectively.<\/p>\n

A Crumbling Justification for Filtering<\/h3>\n

In an interview on December 20, 2024, Firouzabadi candidly admitted the failure of internet censorship. \u201cIt\u2019s now evident to all that filtering has been ineffective,\u201d he stated, highlighting that tens of millions of Iranians continue to use platforms like Instagram, Telegram, and WhatsApp despite being officially banned. \u201cThis makes filtering meaningless,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Firouzabadi\u2019s remarks also exposed the inherently authoritarian nature of Iran\u2019s domestic platforms. He confirmed that apps like Eitaa<\/a> are under government control, specifically linked to the Qom Seminary, and are part of the regime\u2019s strategy to replace global platforms with state-controlled alternatives. Despite heavy investments and propaganda, these platforms have failed to gain the trust or traction needed to meet Iranians’ social and economic needs.<\/p>\n

Firouzabadi criticized the lack of legal grounding for internet censorship, pointing out that filtering has been imposed \u201cthrough the persistence of certain groups\u201d rather than by law. His remarks underscored the regime\u2019s flawed strategy of suppressing foreign platforms without providing functional domestic alternatives. He also revealed that initial plans for filtering were intended as a temporary measure, contradicting its current indefinite implementation under the regime\u2019s resident Masoud Pezeshkian<\/a>, who has intensified these restrictions despite previous campaign promises to ease them.<\/p>\n

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#Iran<\/a> News:
Official Admits VPN Profits Stall #Censorship<\/a> Reforms as Rulers Fear Unfiltered Informationhttps:\/\/t.co\/GxVWH2cFnD<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) November 13, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n