Minister of Communications: Some Institutions Pressured to Filter Social Networks

Mahmoud Vaezi, the Minister of Communications of Iran, said on Friday: "Some institutions pressured to filter social networks and cut off the internet, but we resisted." He also claimed that "the slow internet and the disconnection of Telegram in recent days had nothing to do with the elections." In previous election periods in Iran, information tools including the internet and social networks were subject to restrictions, and during the controversial presidential election of 2009, even the SMS system was cut off. According to Khabar Online, in response to the question of why Iran experienced severe internet outages and slowdowns, as well as the disconnection of Telegram just two days before the elections, he said: "All the problems that have arisen in cyberspace are not related to us. When the servers of some networks abroad encounter issues, these networks do not operate correctly, but this issue is not related to us or the elections." He added: "Regarding the disconnection of Telegram, it can be said that this issue was definitely not from our side, and the problem has been resolved." Reports in recent days indicated disruptions in news websites and information networks, with some sites becoming inaccessible. Mr. Vaezi also referred to the meetings of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace ahead of the elections, stating: "In these meetings, we had many consultations. Some institutions exerted pressure to cut off the internet or filter some social networks before the elections. However, we opposed this issue, and fortunately, through continued discussions, we convinced everyone that there was no need for such actions." The Minister of Communications recently stated that "11 universities are working on intelligent filtering of social networks, and the first test is being conducted on some social networks." According to the Associated Press and the American organization Freedom House, about 40% of Iran's 77 million population has access to the internet. However, this access is accompanied by censorship and filtering, and many Iranians are forced to use VPNs. In this context, the IRGC has identified "300,000 Telegram users in Markazi province." The newspaper Shahrvand reported that intelligent filtering of Telegram has begun in Iran. The Minister of Interior of Iran stated: "There will be a response to the organized transfer of voters to Tehran."