Iran; One of the Countries Restricting Internet Worldwide; Khamenei Calls for 'Control of Cyberspace'

Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on Tuesday, September 6, despite the ongoing intensification of policies restricting users' access to the internet, which has made Iran one of the countries with the most internet restrictions globally, called for 'control of cyberspace.' In a meeting with Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of the Fourteenth Government, and his cabinet members, he cited the arrest of Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the messaging app 'Telegram,' in France as an example of how other countries operate in this framework and stated that there should be, according to him, 'governance by law' in cyberspace. According to Reuters, Khamenei's 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 usage. He announced that 'there must be laws to regulate cyberspace,' claiming that all countries have such an approach, which is why Pavel Durov was arrested in France. The Islamic Republic has imposed strict restrictions, filtering American-based social networks like 'Facebook, X, and YouTube,' but Iranian users typically access these platforms using VPNs. The French prosecutor's office announced on Monday that Pavel Durov, who is of Russian descent and also a citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates, was arrested in Paris as part of an investigation into crimes related to child sexual exploitation, drug trafficking, and fraudulent transactions using Telegram. The Telegram messaging app is also blocked by the Islamic Republic, and Iranian users do not have regular access to it. According to Reuters, the Islamic Republic regularly charges internet users based on the posts they share in cyberspace. Khamenei stated that 'cyberspace must be regulated to become an opportunity rather than a threat.' The implementation of the plan known as 'protection' by the Iranian government to restrict the internet has led to numerous controversies and widespread protests from internet users. Previously, the plan known as 'protection' had been designed by the Iranian government to limit internet access. The implementation of this plan over the past few years has led to numerous controversies and widespread protests from internet users. According to Reuters, Masoud Pezeshkian criticized internet filtering during the presidential election debates, especially due to its impact on Iran's economy, as many small businesses rely on social media. According to the digital rights group 'Access Now,' Iran ranked third in the world for internet outages last year. This outage included shutting down mobile networks nationwide and in specific areas, as well as blocking access to Instagram and WhatsApp, the only major platforms that are not completely banned in Iran. Meanwhile, based on a recent report from the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Iran's rank in the global digital quality of life index has been declining from 2020 to 2023, with a drop in all sub-indices. Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, announced that supporting internet freedom and ensuring Iranian citizens' access to the internet is one of Washington's core concerns. Previously, Sattar Hashemi, the Minister of Communications, claimed on Friday, September 1, on his first day in office, that internet restrictions 'did not occur in accordance with the policies of the Ministry of Communications.' However, 'Filterban,' an organization active in the field of internet access rights in Iran, called his claim 'shirking' responsibility for the role of this organization in internet disruptions, stating that previous ministers also 'shirked their responsibility' by claiming that the Ministry of Communications is an executive arm and decisions are made by other bodies. The detention of the CEO of Telegram in France has been extended; Macron: Durov's arrest is not 'political.' Telegram's response to the arrest of its founder in France: Durov has nothing to hide. French media: Pavel Durov may be accused of terrorism, money laundering, and drug trafficking. Reactions to the 'populism' of the representative claiming 'lifting the filtering': strengthening the powers of the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic. Intensified disruptions in Iran's internet; users: 'Internet enemies' are at work.