81% of Iranian internet users bypass censorship with VPNs - Parliament

A recent survey by the Iranian Parliament Research Center indicates that the vast majority of Iranians (81%) rely on VPNs to bypass internet censorship.

The survey, based on telephone interviews with 1,100 participants in December 2024, indicates that 49.4% of VPN users rely on free services, while 30.3% opt for paid alternatives. Only 18.9% of respondents reported not using a VPN.

The survey also shed light on public sentiment regarding potential changes to internet restrictions under President Masoud Pezeshkian.

A significant 24.8% of participants expressed "no hope at all" for the lifting of filtering and social restrictions. An additional26.7% indicated"low" hope. In contrast, 20.5% expressed "high" hope, and 11.2% "very high" hope. 16.8% either did not answer or responded"don't know."

Lifting internet filtering was one of Pezeshkian’s main campaign promises in the presidential election in 2024.

He had said, "I would put my neck on the line to solve the filtering issue."