Iran

Overview

Iran employs one of the most extensive Internet filtering regimes in the world. Its government controls the telecommunication industry, and all Internet flows through a state-controlled backbone. Various laws authorize the government to filter content and persecute anyone who posts information against the country or Islam. The government blocks at least five million sites, including information related to human rights, political opposition, and social networking. While many Iranians access sites such as Facebook and Twitter via circumvention tactics, the sites remain unavailable on the country’s network. Iran boasts a robust blogosphere, though online activity became more subdued after the government cracked down on protesters during the 2009 elections. Recent statements by President Hassan Rouhani indicate a potential willingness to ease online restrictions, but little action has been taken so far.

Access

More than one-quarter of Iranians (26 percent) use the Internet, primarily in urban areas. Since 2006, the government has banned ISPs from offering fast broadband service to homes. This has limited Iranians’ ability to access multimedia content, such as streaming video. Iran is the only nation in the world to cap household Internet access speeds. The government controls the telecommunication industry, and majority ownership of the Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI) rests with the Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s elite security unit. All ISPs access the Internet through TCI, centralizing Iran’s ability to monitor and filter web content. In addition to content controls, Iran has selectively increased restrictions on Internet speeds in advance of protests or elections, limiting what its citizens can see and do online. Since 2005, the government has occasionally discussed the creation of an internal, “halal” Internet that only displays acceptable content. This would involve restricting outside sites and attracting users to Iranian alternatives for email, social networking, and other online activity.

Control

Iran’s system of filtering content is among the most extensive in the world. Several laws authorize the government to filter and censor online material. Iran’s Press Law bans people from publishing information that reflects negatively on Islam, Iran, or state authorities. Amendments passed in 2009 extend these prohibitions to all online information, from personal websites and blogs to major news outlets. A Computer Crimes Law holds ISPs responsible for content that appears online and allows the death penalty for people who commit crimes against “public morality and chastity” using technology. Since 2002, a Committee in Charge of Determining Unauthorized Websites has identified which websites should be blocked. The country has blocked at least five million sites, including sites with content related to international news, human rights, political movements, ethnic and religious minorities, and social networking (including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr). As many as one-third of news sites and one-fourth of general sites are censored.

Activity

Iran is among the most censored countries in the world, and citizens who use online platforms to write about sensitive topics are highly vulnerable. The government has jailed the second-highest number of journalists in the world, and Reporters Without Borders has described Iran as second only to China in stifling dissent online. Despite such repressive government tactics, Iran boasts a robust blogosphere. Iranians frequently use virtual private networks (VPNs) to circumvent censorship, though the government blocked access to them in advance of the 2013 presidential election. And while social networks remain blocked in Iran, presidential candidates in the most recent election took their campaigning to Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.