Tehran: Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, reiterated the need for increased regulation of cyberspace on Tuesday. Khamenei, whose regime enforces some of the world’s strictest internet controls, used the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France as an example of how other countries also impose such measures.
“There need to be laws to regulate cyberspace. Everyone does it. Look at the French, they arrested this man and threatened him with 20 years in prison for breaching their laws,” Khamenei stated during a meeting with President Masoud Pezeshkian and his cabinet.
Iran is known for its rigid internet restrictions, blocking U.S.-based social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Despite this, tech-savvy Iranians regularly bypass these barriers using virtual private networks (VPNs).
Russian-born Pavel Durov, who holds citizenship in both France and the United Arab Emirates, was arrested in Paris as part of a broader investigation into alleged crimes, including sexual abuse of children, drug trafficking, and fraudulent transactions on his platform, according to French prosecutors.
Khamenei has been vocal about his belief that the digital space should be regulated to minimize threats. “Some do not understand or do not want to understand, but I have already said before that virtual space needs to be regulated in order to be turned into an opportunity and not a threat,” Khamenei said.
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During the presidential debates, President Pezeshkian criticized the country’s internet filtering policies, highlighting their negative effects on the Iranian economy, particularly small businesses reliant on social media for their operations.
Iran ranked third in the world in 2023 for the number of internet shutdowns, according to the digital rights organization Access Now. These disruptions often involved nationwide mobile network blackouts and blocking access to platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp, the last two major social media apps not fully banned in the country.
