ASSESSMENTS

For the Iranian Internet, It's High Speed, High Control

Jan 17, 2018 | 17:06 GMT

The internet and mobile networks have challenged the Iranian government's stranglehold on communications, allowing greater contact and interaction between Iran and the rest of the world, as well as among Iranians themselves.

The internet and mobile networks have challenged the Iranian government's stranglehold on communications, allowing greater contact and interaction between Iran and the rest of the world, as well as among Iranians themselves.

(ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

  • Iran has learned its lessons from the Green Movement of 2009 to hone a better system of managing the flow of information within the country.
  • Instead of shutting down the internet at the first sign of trouble, Iranian authorities have developed a system of separating approved domestic web activity from sources of potential subversion.
  • President Hassan Rouhani promised a freer internet in his last election campaign, but his plans have been largely co-opted by conservatives operating a new national cyber network.

The storm has passed, and Iran's internet is starting to return to all systems go. When people in cities across the country began protesting a litany of issues at the end of last month, Iran's leaders did what many countries have done when confronted with such a situation: They imposed restrictions on the internet. But unlike some countries that have reached for a sledgehammer to swat a fly, Iranian officials didn't opt for an absolute shutdown of the country's internet. Instead, they resorted to more nuanced measures that showed they have succeeded in developing a far more sophisticated infrastructure to manage the web since the country last experienced such turmoil in 2009....

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