Use of VPNs in Iran Declared 'Illegal'; Lawyer: Supreme Council of Cyberspace Has No Legislative Authority

The Supreme Council of Cyberspace of the Islamic Republic announced that the use of VPNs in Iran is 'illegal' unless authorized. A lawyer stated that this council does not have the right to legislate or determine the rights of the people. According to reports from Iranian news agencies on Tuesday, March 1, Mohammad Amin Aghamiri, the secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, said that the Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with the Ministries of Economy and Information Technology, has been tasked with preparing a plan within a month to 'encourage content producers and businesses active on foreign platforms to operate solely on domestic platforms and submit it for approval to the designated council.' According to Article 19 of the 'Internal Regulations' of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, the 'designated council' is formed by real members of the Supreme Council along with legal members or representatives appointed by them, 'to optimize the use of the Supreme Council's meeting time and focus on essential issues and macro policy-making.' The designated council reviews and makes decisions on topics assigned to it by the 'Supreme Council.' The decisions of the designated council, within two weeks after being sent to members and acknowledged and read in the Supreme Council, will be re-discussed in the Supreme Council if requested by at least five members; otherwise, they will be considered 'approved.' Based on the recent resolution, 'any advertising by legal entities' on foreign platforms deemed 'unauthorized' is prohibited, and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance is required to collaborate with state media, the police command, the Ministry of Economy, and the judiciary to implement this resolution and report the results to the 'National Center for Cyberspace' every three months. The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is also required to provide a free service called 'sanction-bypass' and grant licenses to the private sector for activities in this area. Ali Mojtahedzadeh, a lawyer, reacted to this resolution by stating that the Supreme Council of Cyberspace 'does not have the right to legislate and determine the rights of the people.' He also mentioned on social media that 'expect the creation of license rent,' considering the issuance of such licenses as 'a certificate of discrimination,' stating, 'With this action, 80 million Iranians and a large number of high-ranking officials are criminals.' The resolution declaring the use of VPNs 'illegal' has sparked reactions on social media. Journalist Saeed Arkanzadeh referred to the ineffectiveness of previous measures by the Islamic Republic to counter communication tools, including video and satellite. User Amir Hossein Nasaj implicitly pointed out the impracticality of this resolution, recalling a generation that experienced the 'ban on wearing white socks in schools' and 'the ban on drinking potions in streets.' Another user, Sepideh Golmohammadi, emphasized that if using VPNs is illegal, 'we are all criminals.' The declaration of the illegality of VPNs for the general public in Iran comes after the company 'Meta' removed accounts related to Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, from its platforms last week, an action welcomed by a significant number of Iranian social media users. Additionally, the social media platform X permanently blocked the account of the 'Mizan' news agency, affiliated with the judiciary of the Islamic Republic.