136 members of parliament publicly opposed moves to ease the country’s strict social media filtering system, sparking tensions over internet restrictions in Iran.
The filtering system led to widespread VPN services among the population, creating what critics called a parallel internet economy, Iranian media reported. Telegram remains the most popular social network (45 per cent) among Iranians despite the restrictions, according to the Iranian economic newspaper Donyaye Eghtesad.
The survey also revealed that Instagram was the second most preferred platform with 20 per cent, whereas WhatsApp and YouTube were tied at 9 per cent each. Google Play took 7 per cent, and 10 per cent of respondents indicated no preference.
The sharp letter to the Supreme Council for Cyberspace called for the council to investigate the “behind-the-scenes of filter-breaking sales.” Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi admitted at Elcomp exhibition in Tehran on Monday that “everyone, regardless of their perspective, believes that the filtering situation is not desirable.”
In November, Majid Farahani, the president’s executive deputy and head of the central council of the reformist Neda-ye Iranian (Voice of Iranians) Party, said Iran would gradually lift restrictions on internet access in three stages by March 2025.
Internet filtering will be removed in three stages before the New Year.
Earlier in September, Iran’s Kish Free Zone Organisation claimed it was in talks to launch high-speed unfiltered internet access in a “controlled manner.”
