Daily Monitoring of Cyberspace by Cyber Police to Prevent Fraud

The head of the Cyber Police of the Islamic Republic's Law Enforcement announced that cyberspace is monitored daily and "even if a violation does not have a private complainant, it will definitely be addressed if a crime occurs." According to the government news agency ISNA, Vahid Majid stated that part of the Cyber Police's activities involves addressing cases referred by the judiciary or private complaints, while another part is dedicated to the daily monitoring and oversight of websites. It is noteworthy that the Cyber Police of the FARAJA, by monitoring and criminalizing citizens' online activities, aims to exert political and security control over cyberspace. This military official emphasized that his colleagues monitor cyberspace daily, identify violations, and refer them to judicial authorities. Vahid Majid claimed that most of the Cyber Police's cases relate to "internet financial fraud" and added that "over 90% of them are considered crime detection in our country, and actions are taken against the perpetrators." He also referred to claims of online weapon sales in cyberspace, stating that "various types of weapons are advertised on some websites and social media pages, with over 80% of them being fraudulent." This police official, without explaining what types of weapons are advertised on the sites, described it as fraud and added that "after transferring an amount as a deposit, these individuals block the buyers and will no longer respond to them." The head of the Cyber Police of the Islamic Republic also mentioned that "the activities of thugs and hooligans are also included in my colleagues' monitoring, and their cases are referred to judicial authorities." Majid, regarding another category of cyberspace violations, said: "Some websites claim to sell official documents such as national ID cards, driver's licenses, military service completion cards, and academic documents." He added that "these websites attempt to deceive users by providing fake images, but all these actions constitute forgery and fraud, and the produced documents are also fake." Reports indicate that many popular protest users, artists, and entrepreneurs have been arrested under the pretext of crimes that, according to this police chief, even occurred without a "private complainant," and their pages have been blocked. Previously, Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, called for "control of cyberspace" despite the continued intensification of policies restricting users' internet access, which has made Iran one of the countries with the most internet restrictions in the world. Khamenei stated that there should be "lawful governance" in cyberspace, according to his claims. His remarks came at a time when the Islamic Republic is one of the governments in the world that has imposed the most restrictions on citizens' internet use. The Islamic Republic has filtered American-based social media networks such as "Facebook, X, and YouTube" through strict limitations, but Iranian users usually access these platforms using VPNs. Complaints from three lawyers to the Supreme Council of Cyberspace: People's rights are violated by filtering. X suspended Ali Khamenei's account in Italian. The dispute over "filtering" continues; a government official: it is ineffective and a "waste of money." Iran; one of the countries restricting the internet in the world; Khamenei called for "control of cyberspace." The new Minister of Communications claims: internet restrictions are not the policy of the Ministry of Communications; filter ban: it is shirking responsibility.