{"id":340037,"date":"2025-12-02T15:12:42","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T14:12:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=340037"},"modified":"2025-12-02T15:12:42","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T14:12:42","slug":"irans-two-tier-censored-internet-is-getting-more-expensive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/human-rights\/irans-two-tier-censored-internet-is-getting-more-expensive\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran\u2019s Two-Tier Censored Internet Is Getting More Expensive"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Exterior of the Communications Ministry, Tehran<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

The mobile-data price hike arrived quietly, folded into a weekday morning of school closures, air-quality alerts, and transport delays. But the shock was immediate: another jump in internet tariffs, even as speeds remain throttled and whole platforms stay blocked. Then, almost on cue, an intelligence-linked outlet published a list of officials and media figures alleged to enjoy \u201cwhite internet<\/a>\u201d\u2014near-unfiltered lines unavailable to ordinary users. The coincidence was not subtle. As the public pays more for less, the system\u2019s own hierarchy has become impossible to hide.<\/p>\n

A Leak That Confirmed the Privilege Structure<\/h2>\n

In early December, Boltan News<\/em>\u2014widely described in Iranian media as tied to the Ministry of Intelligence\u2014released a roster<\/a> of political veterans and state-adjacent commentators who had reportedly used \u201cwhite SIM\u201d cards. The list skewed sharply toward establishment “reformists:” Javad Zarif, Ali Rabiei, Hesamoddin Ashna, Gholamhossein Karbaschi, Mohammad-Ali Abtahi and several well-known pundits. Names linked to Etemad<\/em>, Shargh<\/em>, Entekhab<\/em> and Ham-Mihan<\/em> also appeared.<\/p>\n

The disclosure read less as transparency than as a targeted embarrassment of the faction Khamenei-aligned outlets routinely cast as a rival. But it confirmed what users had long suspected: censorship is not applied evenly. Those inside or adjacent to state institutions often surf with fewer obstacles, while the public navigates filters, broken VPNs and sudden drop-offs in service. When such privilege becomes publicly traceable\u2014as it did when location metadata exposed unfiltered posting\u2014resentment grows. Official data and even regime-adjacent analytics tend to understate the gravity of this divide.<\/p>\n

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#Iran<\/a>\u2019s White-SIM Internet: How Tehran Hacks the Feed You Trusthttps:\/\/t.co\/IUhKVR2wcg<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) November 26, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n