Rouhani Responds to Potential Telegram Blocking: The Internet Was Not Meant to Be Filtered

The President of Iran reacted to reports about the potential filtering of Telegram, stating that the 'system's foundation' is not about closing the virtual space but rather about 'removing the monopoly' from messaging platforms. On Tuesday, April 2, during a meeting with senior officials of the Islamic Republic, Hassan Rouhani added that 'do not sour the people's mood with such statements; do not undermine employment in a time of unemployment crisis.' According to Jamaran and Khabar Online, he further stated that 'the system's foundation is to eliminate the monopoly of messaging platforms, not to filter and close the virtual space.' The Iranian president expressed pride in having 'capable, secure, and affordable Iranian messaging platforms that can solve the problems and needs of the people,' but noted that the creation of these platforms 'must aim to eliminate the monopoly in messaging services.' In early January, during the initial days of nationwide protests in Iran, Telegram and Instagram were blocked, and security forces arrested several individuals involved with social media. However, following the end of the unrest, these two platforms were unblocked again. Recently, some Telegram channels reported that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic criticized the unblocking of Telegram in a meeting with members of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace and called for the platform to be blocked again. In this context, Aladdin Boroujerdi, head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stated on April 1 that at the 'highest level' of government and 'considering Telegram's destructive role,' it has been decided that Telegram should give way to 'a national system.' Some members of parliament immediately reacted to these statements and criticized them. On Tuesday, two members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly called for a survey to determine the level of public trust in domestic messaging platforms and stated that blocking Telegram would deepen the existing distrust between the people and the responsible authorities. Fatemeh Saidi, a member of the Hope faction's board of directors, told ILNA that filtering foreign messaging services 'does not lead to the use of domestic alternatives.' She suggested conducting a survey to assess public trust in domestic messaging platforms, stating that if the level of trust is not acceptable, 'we must definitely reconsider our policies, not the level of people's access to virtual networks.' This representative added that 'if we restrict people under the pretext of turning to domestic messaging platforms, we will get the opposite result.' In her view, 'those who think that filtering a foreign messaging service will lead to increased popularity of domestic platforms are making a serious analytical error.' Saidi pointed out the influence of Twitter despite its blockage in Iran, saying that 'some social events and even decisions made at various levels of government stem from Twitter waves. We cannot close our eyes to the realities of the world.' Tayebeh Siavashi, another member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also expressed strong opposition to filtering Telegram as a 'solution.' Siavashi added in an interview with Rouydad 24 that 'the rumor of filtering Telegram has been raised several times after the unrest. But I do not know where the latest rumor was raised.' She stated that 'the Supreme Council of Cyberspace has responsibilities such as oversight, but filtering is not within its powers and duties.' The female member of the women's faction criticized that 'multiple agencies have become responsible for cyberspace,' which she deemed as causing 'slowness' in decisions regarding cyberspace. Siavashi further criticized Boroujerdi's statements in defense of filtering Telegram, saying, 'The issue raised by Mr. Boroujerdi should be clearly stated by an official authority such as the head of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace or the Supreme National Security Council.' Despite widespread reactions to the potential blocking of Telegram in Iran, Boroujerdi defended the filtering on April 2, calling the messaging service 'a threat to national security.' This prominent member of parliament claimed that Telegram's information is used by Britain, Germany, and Israel, citing the nationwide protests in January as an example of 'anti-security' use of Telegram. Several representatives and officials of the Islamic Republic assert that blocking Telegram would lead to the destruction of many businesses. For instance, Mohammad Reza Badamchi, a member of parliament, stated that filtering Telegram would harm 200,000 jobs and disrupt the financial lives of half a million people. The head of the committee supporting electronic businesses in parliament also noted that 'filtering is a negative approach, and experience has shown that negative methods not only do not achieve their goals but also come with social repercussions.' Parvaneh Mafi, in an interview with ISNA, identified the 'greatest consequence' of filtering Telegram as 'deepening the existing distrust between the people and the responsible authorities.' She stated, 'The extent and intensity of this distrust will be such that it could bring the country's social capital situation to a critical level.' Mafi added, 'Reality should not be ignored; people do not trust domestic messaging platforms, rightly or wrongly. The main issue is the people's distrust of the decision-making system and some responsible agencies within the country.' Telegram is one of the most popular social networks in Iran, with over 40 million Iranian users.