On November 12, the second meeting of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace was held to discuss the state of the internet and social networks.
This meeting, ostensibly aimed at examining the possibility of lifting internet censorship measures, ended without any concrete outcome, as was the case previously.
Officials who themselves issued the filtering orders talk about reviewing the matter in such sessions; however, no solution to resolve users’ issues is provided.
Iranian state media wrote, “The agenda of the second meeting of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace was ensuring easy access to cyberspace.”
“In this session, the follow-up of the previous meeting’s resolutions regarding access to cyberspace was discussed.”
In this meeting, the formation of a “Filtering Committee” to address issues related to access to cyberspace was approved.
This committee is tasked with presenting actionable proposals. However, in practice, nothing materializes.
In other words, how can those imposing the filters now lift them?!
Zarepour, Minister of Communications under former President Ebrahim Raisi, had previously stated, “In 2022, the filtering of Instagram was a decision made by the Supreme National Security Council. This decision was made in the council’s secretariat with the presence of the heads of the three branches and has nothing to do with the Ministry of Communications or the government.”
Filtering has become a tool for restricting freedom of expression and communication in the Iranian regime in recent years.
With the expansion of public protests, the regime’s leaders have continuously restricted access to the internet and social networks.
The widespread filtering imposed on platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, and even utility services has disrupted people’s daily lives and affected numerous businesses.
Interestingly, many regime officials who issued the filtering orders themselves talk about the necessity of reviewing this issue in public speeches.
These contradictions persist as people continue to struggle with the problems caused by filtering.
Instead of offering practical solutions to reduce restrictions, the council tends to repeat its previous positions.
The council members, who are decision-makers on filtering, not only fail to find solutions to this problem but also complicate the situation with their actions.
Many online businesses operating on social network platforms have been stagnated or shut down due to these restrictions.
Platforms like Instagram, which had become a source of income for millions, have jeopardized their livelihoods by being filtered.
Moreover, filtering has restricted users’ access to free information and made international communication more difficult.
The decision-makers of this council are the same people who initially implemented the filtering. Consequently, it is unrealistic to expect them to change their decisions.
On the one hand, government officials talk about the necessity of reviewing the lifting of filters, but on the other hand, they take no actual steps to remove these restrictions.
Filtering remains a part of the Iranian regime’s overarching policies as a tool to suppress individual freedoms and control cyberspace.
