IRGC Cyber Center Claims Oversight of 8 Million Likes on Facebook

A center affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that it has gained oversight over "approximately 8 million likes (users and their activities)" on Facebook as part of a project named "Spider." The Cyber Organized Crime Investigation Center of the IRGC announced on Sunday, March 1, that the aim of this project is to "violate the advertisements" of this social network regarding the safety of "organized activities" on it. The center stated that after receiving "public reports and the oversight gained from it," another project will be implemented in the next two months on the networks of "Instagram," "Viber," and "WhatsApp." The center accused Facebook's management team of "relentless efforts" to "encrypt complex published content and conceal the identities of security criminals and those undermining Iranian and Islamic identity." Referring to the implementation of the "Spider" project, the center added: "In the study phase of the project, it was decided that the advertisements of this social network regarding the safety of organized activities on it would be practically violated, and the insecurity of Facebook for actions against moral security and producers of unethical content would be demonstrated." Previously, the Cyber Organized Crime Investigation Center had announced on Saturday, January 30, that a group of internet activists who allegedly had the mission of promoting corruption and undermining the Iranian-Islamic lifestyle had been identified and arrested. However, this announcement did not mention the identities of the detainees, only accusing them of creating "350 pages" on Facebook to "promote corruption and undermine the Iranian-Islamic lifestyle." In its March 1 announcement, the center mentioned a 27-year-old man named Mr. "M. Y" as one of the detainees, claiming that this individual managed "20 pages" that the center described as "popular, vulgar, and trend-setting." The announcement also named another 27-year-old man, Mr. "A. R," as one of the detainees who had "established and managed over 120 pages" described as "obscene" on Facebook over six years. The Cyber Organized Crime Investigation Center did not mention the names of other detainees in this project. Meanwhile, Iranian media reported on July 13 that eight Facebook social media activists were sentenced to a total of 127 years in prison by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Mohammad Mogheiseh. According to reports, the defendants in the case known as the Facebook activists come from various cities in Iran, including Yazd, Shiraz, Abadan, Kerman, and Tehran, with their case comprising about 11 volumes. The International Human Rights Campaign had previously reported that these eight individuals had various pages on Facebook with names such as "Imam," "Wiki Face," "The Loneliest Woman," "Dog Life," "Coral Fish," "The Loneliest Man," "When We Start Walking, Our Fear Disappears," and "The 50s Generation." Iman Mirzazadeh, the lawyer for one of the defendants, stated on September 24 that they did not know each other and met for the first time in Ward 350. According to Mr. Mirzazadeh, the management of some pages was shared among several people, which is why this case was consolidated. The Cyber Organized Crime Investigation Center also referred to a project called "Nasih" in its March 1 announcement, which reportedly led to the arrest of "insulters" of the tenth Imam of Shia Islam on Facebook, stating that "the main network leader of this movement" resided in the Netherlands. Previously, Yashar Khamenei, a 25-year-old Iranian living in the Netherlands, had stated that Iranian authorities arrested his father as retaliation for his cooperation with a campaign known as "Reminding Imam Naqi to the Shia."