Iran Feature: Challenging the Plans for the "National Internet" (Arseh Sevom)
A brief summary of the state of the project:
- Construction of a national internet continues. If anything, the regime is even more dedicated to its implementation given recent proclamations from the Supreme Leader;
- It seems clear that Iran has been getting outside support for the development of its national internet;
- Many inside Iran have begun receiving text messages urging them to register for IranMail (http://mail.iran.ir/register/?module=new). Registration requires the use of a valid national identification number;
- Bloggers and owners of websites are being forced to register with a national system;
- NGOs are now being asked to register with a national network;
- Internet bandwidth is controlled by the state;
- Five million sites are blocked;
- Twenty-nine netizens have been arrested and some are facing the death penalty;
- Justifications for Iran’s construction of a national internet are the need for “national security,” echoing the justifications for surveillance given by democratic governments.