Iran Feature: Challenging the Plans for the "National Internet" (Arseh Sevom)

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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.

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