Iranian lawmakers have drafted a new draft bill designed to intensify online censorship and limit Internet access in the country.
The Cyberspace Regulation Plan is a revised version of an earlier draft bill that was abandoned after triggering fierce criticism in the country of some 90 million people.
The new proposed legislation excludes some of the most controversial provisions in the earlier bill, called the Cyberspace Protection Bill, but critics say the goal remains the same.
The new bill was presented to lawmakers on August 26, although it is unclear when it will be voted on.
Concentrating Authority
The new bill would tighten state control over the Internet and give command of the country’s Internet gateways to the Supreme Cyberspace Council, which is tasked with monitoring and filtering the Internet in Iran and whose members are handpicked by the country’s supreme leader.
“The Supreme Cyberspace Council is simultaneously the rule-maker, legislator, regulator and, in a sense, judge,” Slovenia-based Iranian cybersecurity expert Puyesh Azizeddin told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda. “The plan has concentrated all of these powers in the council.”
Azizeddin said the proposed legislation would shift authority away from the government — primarily the Information and Communication Technology Ministry — and reduce the ability of Iranians to hold decision-makers accountable.
The bill would also require Internet service providers to authenticate users, a move that would undermine online anonymity. Online platforms could also face fines or have their license revoked for violations.
“The Iranian user is left with an Internet that is highly restricted and highly subject to surveillance,” he said.
Some provisions from the scrapped Cyberspace Protection Bill have been omitted from the new bill, including criminalizing the use of virtual private networks (VPNs), which mask Internet users’ locations and enable them to view blocked websites.
Other provisions remain.
Foreign online platforms would face requirements to establish a physical presence in Iran. Domestic platforms would face stiff fines and the loss of their license for any violations.
“This is not a new plan,” said Azizeddin. “Every time it goes away, it is transformed under a new name and comes back.”
Will It Become Law?
The bill has been drafted amid Iran’s ongoing war with the United States that began in February. The conflict has killed dozens of top Iranian officials and strengthened hard-liners’ grip on power.
The war has created a securitized atmosphere in Iran, where security forces have been deployed in major cities and government critics arrested. The authorities also shut down the Internet for nearly three months, one of the longest blackouts in modern history.
Observers say hard-liners are taking advantage of war-time conditions to implement stricter Internet controls.
But the new draft bill has raised serious objections by some in the government, including the Information and Communication Technology Ministry.
Reformist President Masud Pezeshkian’s administration has repeatedly presented itself as sympathetic to Iranians’ calls for easing Internet restrictions, although the ultimate decision rests with the supreme leader.
