As detailed budgets for the new fiscal year are unveiled, it’s evident that the administration of Ebrahim Raisi has allocated over six trillion tomans towards the expansion of the so-called national internet infrastructure. Specifically, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has seen a 25% increase in its budget compared to the previous year, now totaling over 19,583 billion tomans.
The Iranian regime has long been striving, under the guise of security reasons, to launch a national network to separate the domestic internet (Intranet) from the World Wide Web to control protests, suppress dissent, or censor events of suppression. This initiative dubbed the “key to disconnecting from the global internet,” was expected to be finalized by the end of 1402 on the Iranian calendar (March 2024).
#Iran News in Brief
MP Javad Nikbin admits that the clerical regime not only imposes political restrictions through #internet censorship but also benefits economically from it.
He stated in a TV interview, “I believe and say it explicitly that the authors of internet censorship… pic.twitter.com/oSGV4ensuh— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) November 8, 2023
Furthermore, substantial miscellaneous allocations exceeding 15 trillion tomans have been designated to this ministry, primarily aimed at expanding access to the so-called national information network. This move is supposed to demonstrate the Raisi government’s endeavor to enhance the country’s digital infrastructure.
Over 6,415 billion tomans have been allocated for this purpose, with an additional 240 billion tomans designated for expanding the national information network through increased SMS revenue.
Huge budget allocations and vows to invest in the country’s digital infrastructure are far from unprecedented. In January 2022, Mostafa Taheri, a member of the Industries and Mines Commission of the regime’s Parliament, stated that the Ministry of Communications is authorized to allocate 10 trillion tomans from various sources, including the sale of its assets, for the national information network in the upcoming fiscal year.
Former MOIS Interrogator Warns Against #MEK Influence in #Iran, Calls for Internet Restrictionshttps://t.co/FKQS8AGR8F
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 10, 2024
However, efforts to pursue the regime’s ambition of a complete internet shutdown and launching an effective intranet are likely to face serious challenges due to systemic corruption, theft, mismanagement, and the regime’s apprehension about potential social backlash.
In its 2023 report, Freedom House wrote, “Digital repression intensified in Iran, home to this year’s worst decline, as authorities shut down internet service, blocked WhatsApp and Instagram, and increased surveillance in a bid to quell antigovernment protests.”