"Spider 2"; A Project to Prevent Lifestyle Influences on Politics

Recent criticisms by Ali Khamenei regarding the prevalence of "brand-wearing," foreign travels, English language education, "nouveau riche kids," and modern lifestyles in Iran have led to the implementation of a project known as "Spider 2." The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, who has long been concerned about the changing lifestyles of the Iranian people and their distancing from religious beliefs and inclinations towards Western values, has established a center titled "Islamic-Iranian Model of Progress" to counter this trend. Khamenei personally oversees the guidance and policymaking of this center, and following a meeting on April 26, the frequency of confrontations with manifestations of modern lifestyles in Iran has significantly increased. After this meeting, Khamenei explicitly criticized phenomena that clearly indicate the spread of the "modern lifestyle" in Iran and called for action against them in various meetings within a month. According to the Supreme Leader and the ruling clerics in Iran, social changes in the country resulting from citizens' access to social media, mobile phones, and satellites are classified as "social harms" that must be addressed. The necessity of confronting the sources of lifestyle changes in Iran was reiterated by Khamenei to all institutions and organizations following the results of the parliamentary elections on February 26. A group of conservative analysts has assessed the changes in lifestyle in Iran and the effects of social media as among the main factors behind the conservatives' defeat in the recent parliamentary elections, expressing concern about the continued impact of this trend on the political sphere. This defeat was significant enough for conservatives and Khamenei himself that some analysts believe it contributed to the dismissal of Mohammad Sarafraz from the presidency of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). In a decree issued for Abdolali Ali-Asgari, the new head of IRIB, Khamenei has requested special attention to the issue of "social media" in the virtual space. This emphasis can be interpreted as a tacit acknowledgment by the Supreme Leader and the conservative faction of the undeniable impact of the new Iranian lifestyle on the political arena, which Khamenei claims is "the real battlefield." "Spider 2" is the product of two years of "intensive intelligence work." The project "Spider 2" came to light when the Cyber Crime Investigation Center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had identified 170 individuals managing modeling pages on social media, particularly Instagram, and had opened legal cases against 29 of these managers and their associates, arrested eight, summoned several, and closed places linked to their crimes. In a report published on Sunday, May 15, on the website "Gerdab," it was stated that this operation was conducted after "approximately two years of continuous and intensive intelligence work and following numerous complaints and reports from various families from different cities." The IRGC has declared that it aims to combat the "widespread promotion of vulgarity through professional modeling and the normalization of promiscuity" and the "production and promotion of clothing that contradicts the norms of Iranian society and semi-nude outfits in social spaces." Institutions such as "design and clothing agencies inside and outside the country," "women's salons," "women's clothing boutiques and stores," "underground music and clip production studios," and "high-traffic pages" on social media have also been identified as platforms for the formation of this "trend." Activists and users in this trend include photographers, makeup artists, and both professional and amateur models; professions that have previously faced police actions for not adhering to "Islamic patterns" in the services provided to clients or their professional activities. The objective of the "Spider 2" project is also declared to be "supporting the family and Islamic community, defending national and Islamic identity, purifying and sanitizing unhealthy content for Iranian adolescents, youth, and families, and paving the way for utilizing internet opportunities." In February 2015, the IRGC also announced that during the implementation of the "Spider" project, several Facebook users had been identified and arrested for establishing pages aimed at "promoting corruption." The Cyber Organized Crime Investigation Center at that time stated that these individuals were "deceiving" "the sacred institution of family" by targeting "women and girls on Facebook." These two projects have been implemented in the Islamic Republic while the Cyber Police (FATA) is officially responsible for pursuing and dealing with online crimes in Iran. Nevertheless, the IRGC has repeatedly acted independently against some internet users in Iran. Instead of spending time on Instagram, youth should read. The Cyber Organized Crime Investigation Center of the IRGC, after declaring the "successful" implementation of the "Spider 2" project in confronting fashion activists on Instagram, introduced this network as an internet "achievement" that intensifies the "process of cultural imperialism," having "destructive" effects on lifestyles. The center has identified the most significant "destructive" effects of social media, including Instagram, as "modeling at any cost," "extreme superficiality," "approaching the culture of media masses," "producing works lacking artistic value," "exhibitionism and narcissism," "depression among entitled users," "dual behavior in virtual space and real life," the loss of inner-outer culture, and "political-economic deception." The Cyber Organized Crime Investigation Center of the IRGC has described the prevailing culture in the modeling industry as based on "the empty desires of modern Western man," which is considered a "major norm violation" in "authentic" societies like Iran. Expressing concern over the "extreme superficiality" of youth as the "target society of cultural imperialism," it has recommended that they dedicate their leisure time to "beneficial" activities such as sports and reading instead of "wasting time" on Instagram. The Cyber Organized Crime Investigation Center has added that many social media users are exposed to "depression" due to comparing their situation with others and observing their shortcomings compared to others. This center has introduced Instagram as one of the best platforms for the emergence and exacerbation of "narcissistic and exhibitionist mental disorders." The website "Gerdab," the official organ of the IRGC Cyber Security Command, had previously written that the Cyber Organized Crime Investigation Center has concluded in its research that the goal of the "hidden supporters and operators" of Instagram is to "change the Iranian-Islamic lifestyle," and for this reason, 20% of the space of this network is dedicated to modeling and "professional vulgarity." In its recent announcement, the Cyber Organized Crime Investigation Center has also warned that it has plans to confront "anti-cultural and norm-violating" individuals and movements on the popular and widely used Telegram network. The center has told "norm violators" that there is "no safe haven" for their activities in mobile networks and that they should "expect appropriate legal actions from the judiciary." The wave of social changes differing from the policies of the Islamic Republic first manifested itself in the form of street protests in various cities of Iran following the controversial 2009 elections. In July of that year, Khamenei, in an unprecedented move, called for limiting the teaching of humanities in educational institutions and changing the curricula of this field. Following this request from the Supreme Leader, many curricula in humanities in universities and higher education institutions were changed over five years, and student admissions in these fields were restricted. Khamenei hoped that these changes, along with the inclusion of "Islamic sciences" and "Islamic lifestyle," would largely prevent social changes aligned with global values in Iran, which did not materialize in the February 26 elections. In this election cycle, conservatives suffered a complete defeat in the Tehran electoral district, and the "negative voting campaign" aimed at eliminating candidates close to Khamenei in both the Assembly of Experts and the Islamic Consultative Assembly was met with significant successes. It seems that this issue has led to the renewed discussion of the "modern lifestyle" and the necessity of confronting it by Ali Khamenei.