Iran’s reformist president calls for new approach to restricted social media access
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday called for a new approach to restricted social media access following public dissatisfaction due to government-imposed censorship, state media reported.
Pezeshkian emphasized “the necessity of developing governance in social media in order to prevent its harm,” saying “we believe that the continuation of this process is not acceptable due to the creation of many dissatisfactions for the people,” in a meeting with the Supreme Council of Cyberspace (SCC), as cited by Iran’s state IRNA news agency.
In 2021, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, or parliament, passed the User Protection Bill (Tarhe-Sianat) to disrupt access to international online services in Iran. The bill was initially passed but later revoked due to an unclear procedural process.
The meeting addressed unresolved censorship challenges previously raised in Iran.
“In order to correct this process, all governing institutions must come to a common language and vision,” Pezeshkian added.
The Iranian president directed Amin Aghamiri, the secretary of SCC, to form a committee tasked with investigating the issue and presenting a solution.
Aghamiri cited problems faced by online businesses in the Islamic republic, poor network quality, and inadequate general access to the internet as reasons to resolve the issue.
“When the society is not satisfied with our decisions, the decision taken will definitely turn against themselves,” Pezeshkian stressed.
The SCC was founded in 2012 with the order of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to limit access to social media and broadcast and monitor the prohibited activities of citizens.
The Iranian government frequently cracks down on the internet during periods of heightened tensions and protests, especially in the 2022 “Women, Life, Freedom” movement sparked by the death of Kurdish woman Zhina (Mahsa) Amini while in custody of Iran’s so-called morality police and a week-long internet crackdown in response to the 2019 protests, infamously known as Bloody November.
Pezeshkian emphasized “the necessity of developing governance in social media in order to prevent its harm,” saying “we believe that the continuation of this process is not acceptable due to the creation of many dissatisfactions for the people,” in a meeting with the Supreme Council of Cyberspace (SCC), as cited by Iran’s state IRNA news agency.
In 2021, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, or parliament, passed the User Protection Bill (Tarhe-Sianat) to disrupt access to international online services in Iran. The bill was initially passed but later revoked due to an unclear procedural process.
The meeting addressed unresolved censorship challenges previously raised in Iran.
“In order to correct this process, all governing institutions must come to a common language and vision,” Pezeshkian added.
The Iranian president directed Amin Aghamiri, the secretary of SCC, to form a committee tasked with investigating the issue and presenting a solution.
Aghamiri cited problems faced by online businesses in the Islamic republic, poor network quality, and inadequate general access to the internet as reasons to resolve the issue.
“When the society is not satisfied with our decisions, the decision taken will definitely turn against themselves,” Pezeshkian stressed.
The SCC was founded in 2012 with the order of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to limit access to social media and broadcast and monitor the prohibited activities of citizens.
The Iranian government frequently cracks down on the internet during periods of heightened tensions and protests, especially in the 2022 “Women, Life, Freedom” movement sparked by the death of Kurdish woman Zhina (Mahsa) Amini while in custody of Iran’s so-called morality police and a week-long internet crackdown in response to the 2019 protests, infamously known as Bloody November.