IRGC: The Most Important Elements Promoting Corruption on Facebook Arrested

A center affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran claims to have identified and arrested a group of individuals active on the internet who had a "mission to promote corruption and undermine the Iranian-Islamic lifestyle." The announcement from the Cyber Organized Crime Investigation Center of the IRGC was reflected in the Fars news agency on Saturday, February 11, stating that the arrested individuals had managed to target a significant number of Facebook users over two years "with the hidden and indirect support of Western governments." However, the announcement did not mention the identities of the detainees and only stated that the identified and arrested individuals were "the most important active elements on the internet" who had engaged in "promoting corruption and undermining the Iranian-Islamic lifestyle" under the guise of cultural and social topics through 350 pages on Facebook, targeting the institution of family. According to the IRGC, the activities of this network included "promoting a culture of permissiveness, weakening and denying the institution of family, mocking religious beliefs and values, promoting relationships outside of moral norms, and publishing private images of young girls" on Facebook. The statement further adds: "Deceiving women and girls who are members of Facebook had provided a ground for illicit income and supporting the livelihoods of the members of this network." The Cyber Organized Crime Investigation Center of the IRGC ultimately stated that the information obtained by this center "indicates illegal and immoral activities in various forms on other social media, generally formed by malicious and notorious individuals," and warns them "to dismantle their corruption networks and cease following the accursed Satan." The IRGC had also arrested members of the 'Narenji' website last December, accusing them later of "acting against national security." However, today's statement from the IRGC comes less than 48 hours after the Minister of Communications and Technology stated that currently, social networks cannot be filtered "because there is no internal alternative for them." Prior to this, the Iranian government had announced that Hassan Rouhani, the President, opposed blocking popular social networks. Nevertheless, the proliferation of social networks like Facebook in Iran is met with severe criticism from domestic conservatives and their pressure to filter these networks. For instance, Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, criticized the Minister of Communications, saying, "A minister who is on the brink of the grave wants to be the filter for Facebook." In this context, linking to Facebook in Iran has been recognized as a "crime." The Minister of Communications stated that it is unlikely that Facebook will be unblocked in the short term. Roya Saberi Nejad faces 20 years in prison for Facebook-related activities. A parliamentary representative stated that news of Israel's defeat is not reflected on Facebook.