Implications

Under Rouhani, internet filtering has not only continued, it has been strengthened. National search engines now allow systematized filtering and re-direction to state-approved (and often falsified) content. The blocking of major social media platforms, especially during sensitive times such as elections or during unrest, has continued, as recent events have demonstrated. Blocking services and applications that provide encryption by default has also intensified. These tools and services provide a lifeline for Iranians trying to maintain internet access and privacy. The inability to access these tools from Iranian stores, or buy them internationally due to constraints on international financial transactions with Iranians, has meant Iranians are deprived of tools vital to their internet access and security. Indeed, under Rouhani, Iran’s most complex and costly national project for internet censorship and control—the NIN— has significantly advanced, and with it, Iranians’ ability to access the global internet is now subject to state discretion. Overall, internet use in Iran has expanded during Rouhani’s tenure, but internet freedom certainly has not.