Tourist SIM Card; The Islamic Republic's Effort to Present a False Image to Tourists

Shirin Ebadi, a lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, reacted to the approval of the tourist SIM card plan in Iran, calling it an effort by the Islamic Republic to present a false image to tourists. Ebadi wrote on her Telegram channel: 'The Islamic Republic, by approving the tourist SIM card plan, aims to present an image of Iran that differs from the realities experienced by the people.' Sociologist Saeed Madani also reacted to the approval of the free SIM card plan, stating that filtering in Iran has not led to any results, and even filtered platforms still have their audiences in Iran. He added that domestic platforms have also failed to attract people's attention, and as a result, the policymakers' goal of diverting people from foreign platforms has not been achieved. Madani also stated that the free SIM card plan is 'discriminatory' and will lead to social chaos and disorder. He noted that wherever discriminatory behaviors emerge, feelings of humiliation will also arise, leading to protests in society. Ezzatollah Zarghami, the Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, announced last winter that a SIM card with unfiltered internet would be provided to foreign tourists. After a few months, Ali-Asghar Shalbafian, the Deputy Minister of Tourism at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, announced on Sunday, September 24, the approval of the 'tourist SIM card' by the working group on 'removing criminal instances' of the Attorney General's Office and stated that this plan would be implemented 'step by step.' The lack of access to free internet and the problems caused by 'filtering' have been subjects of criticism from experts and the public in recent years. The Islamic Republic has consistently ranked high on lists of countries suppressing freedom of expression over the past few decades, and through censorship in the media and restricting citizens' free access to the internet, it seeks to maintain complete control over the flow of information. Zarghami: We should give tourists special SIM cards so that if they are arrested, they can notify others. A limited SIM card for Iranian citizens; 'tourist SIM card' for tourists. Filtering for Iranians, 'special SIM card' for foreigners; users: It’s apartheid.