Iranian Minister: Removing Internet Restriction Not Government's Call

Iran's Minister of Information and Communications Technology has refuted presidential candidates' promises to lift internet censorship in Iran, stating that the president does not have the authority to make that decision.

"Those advocating for the removal of internet filtering should recognize that such decisions are often determined in meetings where government consensus does not necessarily align with majority opinion," said Issa Zarepour, referring to the power security and intelligence organs wield in suppression of information.

He further elaborated, "When making such promises, it's crucial to ensure they can be fulfilled later on. In the previous administrations, filters were enforced on platforms like Viber, WeChat, Telegram, and Twitter. No one can claim they didn't enforce these measures during their tenure."

His refutation appears to address Mostafa Pourmohammadi's recent presidential campaign pledge to remove internet filtering.

"I aim to swiftly eliminate VPNs and filtering due to their adverse security implications and the costs imposed on our nation," Pour Mohammadi, a former justice minister, stated.

Over the past two decades, Iran has implemented extensive censorship measures, blocking tens of thousands of websites. With the rise of social media, platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have also been subject to restrictions. Traditional media, books, and films are similarly heavily censored and scrutinized for both adherence to Islamic beliefs and political content.

In circumventing website restrictions and evading filters, individuals utilize VPNs to gain unrestricted access to the Internet. In freer societies, VPNs are predominantly employed to safeguard user anonymity.