This is a condensed version of an article by Ramtin Shahrzad, originally published in Persian by Radio Zamaneh.
On July 16, 2025, Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace, with President Masoud Pezeshkian present, approved a new regulation titled Bylaw to Facilitate the Economy of Digital Businesses. Despite earlier promises to ease internet restrictions, the Islamic Republic has implemented a tiered internet system that digital rights advocates describe as a “class-based” or “caste-based” internet.
While the government has not published the full text, media reports and official statements indicate that the IRI state now grants full internet access to select businesses, journalists, and professionals with institutional or political ties. Some companies have already obtained unrestricted access by registering their IP addresses. Officials have also confirmed that certain journalists may receive broader access under the label of “freer internet.”
Critics argue that this monetized and unequal system prioritizes those aligned with the Islamic Republic while excluding the broader population. Cybersecurity experts warn that it will worsen digital inequality, promote corruption, and expand state surveillance, especially for users confined to the domestic network.
By enforcing this policy, the IRI state is tightening control over information while presenting it as support for digital business. The result is greater censorship, less access, and deeper social and economic divides.
Background on Iran’s Unequal Filtering Policies
Digital security expert Amir Rashidi of Filterban and the Miaan Group defines Iran’s emerging “class-based internet” system as one that distributes internet access unequally. The IRI state restricts general users to its domestic network, while granting select groups high-speed, stable access to the global internet by separating domestic and international traffic.
A 2023 Filterban investigative report, Internet for Insiders: Institutionalizing Digital Discrimination, warns that the IRI state is gradually implementing policies that formalize digital discrimination. These policies create a system of “unequal filtering” that grants internet access based on loyalty or alignment with state interests.
The report explains that government-approved individuals and sectors receive preferential access to international platforms and services. Meanwhile, the broader population faces limited access and is directed toward monitored domestic apps and content. This approach strengthens state control over internet access and surveillance, threatening core digital rights such as freedom of expression and assembly.
The report also highlights growing concerns over user privacy and security, as the government increasingly targets secure VPN services. Filterban concludes that the IRI state’s expanding control over internet access risks creating a deeply authoritarian digital environment.
According to Shargh Daily in Iran, the selective internet access policy, initially framed by officials as a way to support businesses and journalists, has now extended into other sectors. In April, Iran’s Minister of Science announced that the Ministry had formally requested the unblocking of YouTube for university faculty and students to facilitate educational use—submitting the request to the Committee for Determining Instances of Criminal Content.
Shargh traces the origins of this so-called “class-based internet” policy back to the administration of former President Ebrahim Raisi. Critics view the selective unblocking of internet services for certain professions or groups as a step toward implementing the broader and controversial “User Protection Bill,” also known locally as the “Protection Plan,” which seeks to increase national control over internet access and content.
Declining Access, Quality, and Security of Iranian Internet during the 12-Day War
Following the recent 12-day war between Iran and Israel, nationwide internet outages disrupted access across Iran. Since then, users have reported a sharp decline in service quality, with slower speeds, higher costs, persistent technical issues, and widespread GPS disruptions affecting both domestic and international functionality.
The IRI state has expanded digital censorship under the pretext of national security. According to Filterban, citing Ham-Mihan newspaper, authorities have blocked or restricted access to approximately 100,000 websites and online services since the conflict.
Reports from the Tehran E-Commerce Association and independent monitoring organizations consistently place Iran among the lowest-ranked countries for internet performance. In comparison, Myanmar filters only about 1 percent of websites, yet maintains an average internet speed (8.8 Mbps) twice as fast as Iran’s, with significantly lower latency (69 ms).
On the same day officials in Iran promoted the so-called “class-based internet” as a digital business support strategy, they admitted to major infrastructure and cybersecurity weaknesses. Behzad Akbari, head of Iran’s Infrastructure Communications Company, described the national network as “one of the most infected,” confirming it faced cyberattacks reaching up to 400 Gbps during and after the conflict with Israel. Ehsan Chitsaz, Deputy Minister of ICT, acknowledged that “80 percent of users rely on VPNs” and claimed that VPN use had turned many mobile devices into “zombies used in DDoS attacks.”
These statements highlight growing concern about the reliability and security of Iran’s digital infrastructure. As the IRI state increases censorship and maintains selective access policies, internet degradation continues to restrict both personal freedoms and the country’s broader economic potential.
Iranian Official Statements Deny that this is “Cast-Based Internet”
On July 17, 2025, the Iranian news agency Tabnak, which is affiliated with the government of Pezeshkian, reported that the Supreme Council of Cyberspace had formed a “Committee to Facilitate the Economy of Digital Businesses.” The report emphasized that the move was not an attempt to create a “class-based internet.”
Other pro-government media, including Mizan, the Judiciary’s official outlet, published excerpts from the bylaw in support of the initiative. They claimed the bylaw aims to prevent arbitrary actions by public institutions; eliminate legal and administrative barriers for online businesses; and increase the digital economy’s share of the national economy.
The Telegram channel Navad-e Eghtesadi also published some images of the executive bylaw (not the full text), highlighting its goals as
- Remove obstacles and accelerate the digital economy ecosystem
- Support digital platforms and foundational technologies
- Boost employment in the tech sector
- Help Iranian digital platforms expand internationally
Tech journalist Nima Akbarpour, who has covered Iran’s restrictive internet policies for over 20 years, criticized the policy. He argued that it misdiagnoses the root problem which is restricted access to the internet. The bylaw instead proposes a misguided remedy that justifies further repression rather than addressing the fundamental lack of internet freedom.
The Gradual Implementation of “Class-Based Internet” in the Islamic Republic of Iran
A July 15 report by the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) confirms that the IRI state has gradually implemented a “class-based internet” system over several years. Initially limited to select officials and journalists, the system later expanded to academic institutions and now includes digital businesses under the current (14th) administration.
- In 2019, then-Minister of ICT Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi endorsed differentiated access, stating that “a doctor or university professor should not have the same internet access as a child.”
- This policy led to the Goshaayesh (Opening) project at Sharif University, which provided unfiltered internet to selected faculty and students under the pretext of supporting academic research. Critics warned it normalized digital inequality.
- In December 2022, Article 8 of the Freelancing Support Bylaw granted “verified freelancers” access to “high-speed, quality internet.”
- In July 2024, the government directed the Ministry of ICT to provide unfiltered, high-speed internet to companies in designated international innovation zones by year’s end.
Software developer Milad Nouri explained that IRI authorities avoid the term “class-based internet,” instead using euphemisms like “Journalist Internet,” “Academic YouTube Access,” “Tourist SIM Cards,” “National VPN,” and “Emergency Internet for Critical Services.”
This incremental approach, often framed as innovation support or professional necessity, has drawn criticism from digital rights advocates who argue that it institutionalizes digital discrimination and undermines equitable access to informatio.
