A 30 Trillion Toman Market for VPNs; Iranians Use the Internet for 169 Minutes Daily

On Sunday, September 5, the website Eghtesad Online reported that Iranians spent 30 trillion tomans on buying and selling VPNs last year. The report stated that statistics indicate Iranians use the internet for an average of 169 minutes daily. This data shows that 80% of Iranians use VPNs to access social networks and messaging apps. Published statistics reveal that 87% of internet users in Iran across various age groups use mobile phones to access the internet. According to this data, the total number of domestic and foreign stores and social networks used by users in the year 1401 (2022-2023) exceeded 780,000. Despite Telegram being one of the first social networks blocked in Iran, the total number of views of posts from Iranian Telegram channels in 1401 exceeded 590 billion. Mehdi Moslehi, a cybersecurity expert, stated in May of this year in an interview with the website 'Entekhab' that until 1397 (2018-2019), monthly VPN sales transactions were 50 billion tomans, but now, considering last year's situation, this figure has approached 500 billion tomans per month. In Dey (December) of the previous year, during the peak of protests, Saeed Naqvi, a board member of the Computer Technologists Union, reported a 3,000% increase in demand for VPN purchases in Mehr 1401 (October 2022) and stated that reports indicate that the search range of Iranian users for obtaining VPNs has set a historical record. The Ministry of Sports and Youth also reported during the nationwide protests of 1401 that 70% of users utilize VPNs, with one in eight users opting for paid VPN services. Additionally, a report released in Bahman (February) 1401 indicated that internet outages and filtering in Iran from Mehr to the end of Dey 1401 caused approximately 10 trillion tomans in economic losses to the Iranian people. The scope of filtering in Iran expanded with the escalation of nationwide protests in 1401, and security agencies filtered widely used social networks. One of the side effects of filtering in Iran is the income generated for individuals and entities close to the government from filtering. In this context, one can refer to 'Hamid Rezazadeh,' the son of Ensieh Khazali, Ibrahim Raisi's deputy, who, according to published reports, is the founder of a VPN production company for Iranians called 'BetrNet.' Mehdi Yahyanejad stated that the U.S. has spent millions of dollars on VPNs so far. International SIM cards to bypass filtering in Iran are sold for 'up to 90 million tomans.' Simultaneously with the filtering of the social network 'Threads' for the public, an account was created for Ibrahim Raisi. Filtering is hell for the people, a paradise for VPN sellers; 500 billion tomans in monthly profits. There is an increase in criticism from state media regarding extensive filtering and internet disruptions in Iran.