By Staff Writer
Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube blocked many accounts and channels linked to the Iranian regime a few weeks ago. Google blocked thirty-nine channels that were associated with Iran’s national broadcasting television organization (IRIB) from YouTube, and Facebook shut down 562 pages that were said to belong to the Iranian regime. As well, Twitter announced that 486 accounts that violated their rules and standards had been blocked.
On August 21st, The Washington Post reported that Facebook confirmed that the Iranian regime was behind a fraudulent operation on Facebook that targeted hundreds of thousands around the world.
According to reports by Reuters, Iran’s infiltration operation is believed to be considerably larger than what had already been marked out. Reuters said that the operation includes a wide network of anonymous websites and social media accounts, and is active in 11 languages. Reuters analysts have identified dozens of social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif accused Twitter users and social media activists of operating against the Iranian regime, after Iran’s network coverage on the Internet was revealed. He admitted that most of the Iranians who use Twitter do not have a good relationship with the regime, and claimed they are driven by America and Saudi Arabia.
“Many of them are robots and hired!” claimed Alireza Miriosifi, a former Iranian diplomat to the United Nations, who called the closing of Iran-affiliated accounts “part of a series of US measures to change the regime in Iran.”
Following Zarif’s accusation, Iranian Internet activists began a campaign on Twitter — #WeAreNotBots — and posted comments like, ‘There’s no robot involved, we are the real people! We’ve been denied our right to free expression and get severely cracked down on freedom of speech and free use of press or cyberspace.”
Because of Iran’s systematic, daily news censorship, more Iranians, especially the country’s young people, turn to Telegram and Twitter. Iranians consider Telegram to be one of the safest messenger applications, and is less likely to be infiltrated or hacked. Telegram’s CEO approves a static of more than 40 million telegram users from Iran.
The regime bodies control all media and press, so the Iranian people rely on the internet for valid news stories. And, to avoid the censors, protesters must express their demands and opposition to the Iranian regime through the internet. Because of this, Iran’s regime security systems secure a large number of arrests of activists by monitoring the internet, according to recent statistics.
