VPN providers struggling to block efforts to lift Internet ban: Top official
Providers of virtual private network (VPN) are “blocking the lifting of Internet ban with all their might” due to the huge profits they make, said Majid Ansari, the vice president for legal affairs.
Internet ban, also known as Internet filtering or censorship, in Iran refers to the government’s efforts to control and restrict access to some online content, websites, and services.
According to local media, some users have reported accessing filtered platforms such as Instagram without a VPN in recent days, sparking speculation about operators testing the network to lift the ban. However, government officials have announced that the lifting of Internet ban is still “on the legal path and under review by the Supreme Council of Cyberspace,” and that any information about lifting restrictions will only be announced by the council or the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology.
Recently, Ali Rabiei, an aide to President Pezeshkian on social affairs, also criticized the Internet ban policy on the social media platform X, pointing to the annual $1 billion loss caused by Internet ban to the people and calling it useless.
“I have no idea what’s the benefit of Internet ban?” Rabiei wrote on X. “Show a harmful movie or piece of news you have blocked through filtering. People lose $1 billion annually due to this ban.”
Two lawmakers have also said that some supporters of Internet restrictions “are involved in selling VPN themselves.” Javad Nikbin and Gholamreza Nouri pointed to the high financial turnover and economic benefits in the VPN market, saying that those who have pursued the ban are also connected to VPN distributors.
Nikbin added that the majority of VPN sales are done inside the country, not outside. Iran’s minister of Communications and Information Technology, Sattar Hashemi has called for the judiciary to investigate these claims.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has repeatedly reacted to this issue. During his election campaign, he promised to solve the problem.
Before the elections, Pezeshkian wrote on his X account in response to a user’s request: “I guarantee that the entire administration will stand against Internet filtering with all its might.”
Despite the Pezeshkian’s promise to lift Internet ban, which has given hope to social media users, Hashemi announced on October 13 that Internet ban will be lifted in the near future. He also announced on November 7 that a plan to lift the ban is being reviewed by the “Supreme Council of Coordination of Heads of the Three Branches,” but did not specify a time frame for lifting the ban.
The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) announced in 2023 that the number of internet users in Iran is 116 million.
Data from the “Data Reportal” institute also shows that as of the beginning of 2024, the internet penetration rate in Iran has reached 81.7%, with 73.14 million internet users in the country.
The large number of internet users and their effective demand for buying VPN has turned the sale of these tools into one of the most thriving businesses in Iran. According to a report by the Governance and Policy Think Tank (GPTT) and the Iranian Students Polling Agency (ISPA), 80% of internet users in different age groups use VPNs.