Iran’s Minister of Telecommunications says Iran has made considerable investment in the Smart Filtering of internet content but adds that this kind of technology is very expensive.
Mahmoud Vaezi told ISNA on Monday November 9: “The more we invest in this regard, they also achieve more progress against our efforts, and it could be said that we are faced with a kind of technological warfare and shows of strength in this field.”
Smart Filtering is the term used by the Islamic Republic establishment to describe its efforts to censor internet content selectively within each website or app, rather than blocking the whole site.
Vaezi stressed that his ministry is determined to remove “immoral pages” from websites either through Smart Filtering or negotiations with companies.
Vaezi reported that the ministry has improved its ability to filter Instagram content.
The Iranian government’s efforts to censor internet content have met with few obstacles, and several Western and Chinese companies have provided them with the technology to achieve it. Direct internet access in Iran has many restrictions, and many popular websites are only accessible through anti-censorship technology.
