All Accused of Internet Suppression in Iran
For a long time, the names of some companies and individuals accused of participating in the internet shutdown project or providing technical cooperation to intelligence agencies in accessing personal privacy data have been heard. One of the most famous is the company ArvanCloud, which became well-known during the one-week internet shutdown in November 2019. However, in recent days, as internet speed in Iran has once again decreased and at times approached complete shutdown, the names of other companies and individuals have also been mentioned.
Douran
Amir Rashidi, an IT expert, wrote on his Twitter that the team currently leading the internet suppression includes Rasoul Jalili, head of the Telecommunications Infrastructure Company, Isa Zarepour, the Minister of Communications, and Amir Lajevardi. He wrote that on the other hand, Douran Company is responsible for technical tasks, and part of the internet disruption in Iran has been carried out with the help of Douran’s technical team to analyze user behavior. According to him, it is heard that dual-national individuals have been hired to evade sanctions.
Another user wrote that the Douran group and company started the national filtering and then, with the firewalls they produced, compelled all internal organizations to use them. He also wrote that Rasoul Jalili, a member of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace and a staunch supporter of complete internet shutdown, is on the US sanctions list, and Isa Zarepour, the Minister of Communications, is practically a disciple of Rasoul Jalili, having worked with Jalili for years at the Clean Cyberspace Developers Association. Jalili is the head of a company that supplies internet to all of Iran.
Sahab Pardaz
Another user, Yaser Bahrami, with software engineering expertise, also wrote that since 2019, only ArvanCloud has been targeted, but the companies Sahab Pardaz, Amn Afzar Sharif, and the Douran group have also played a significant role in filtering. In another tweet, he wrote that it was reported that the company Pouyesh Rayan Tasvir, which operates under the brand Odin, collaborates in equipping anti-riot vehicles to have images of protesting people and create trouble for them.
They have also labeled themselves as knowledge-based and are located in Pardis Technology Park, Innovation Street 3. It was said in the case of the prison cameras hack that the cameras were made by this company, and they have many government clients.
A user also published an image of a 99 billion Toman contract between Sahab Pardaz and the Telecommunications Infrastructure Company in 2017. The title of this contract is the creation of a system for integrating the components of the comprehensive cultural and social protection plan. Another user named Awat had a detailed thread about the activities of this company and other companies, but later, for unknown reasons, deleted their account, making their thread inaccessible.
Reaction of the Previous Minister
Nima Akbarpour also referred to a complete investigation by Collin Anderson, indicating that Iranian ISPs provide their users’ information to a company active in the field of smart filtering named Sahab Pardaz. According to another user, many data mining groups and companies have recently become active, whose job is to collect information and data from internet service providers and telecommunications operators and deliver reports to government sections and filtering-related entities.
During his tenure as the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Azari Jahromi wrote on Twitter in response to these statements, especially regarding Sahab Pardaz, that he assures no shared private information has been or will be provided to any company. This claim is not substantiated. According to the conducted review, the mentioned company has no activity related to the smart filtering of internet companies.
What Should We Do
According to an IT expert user, staying safe from these companies requires several combined methods, such as:
1. Using encryption for data and communications at the highest possible level. 2. Using the Tor filter breaker. 3. Using updated browsers and enabling TLS 1.3. 4. Using a personal VPN. 5. Avoiding unofficial and domestic apps.
Reaction of the Current Minister
On September 21, videos of statements by Isa Zarepour, the Minister of Communications, were released, in which he said that due to security issues and some discussions that exist these days, sometimes restrictions might be decided and implemented by security agencies. His ministry later described this quote as incorrect and denied imposing restrictions and internet shutdown.
However, the website of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology’s Public Relations and Information Center announced after a few hours that this quote from the minister was incorrect and denied the imposition of restrictions and internet shutdown.
The public relations center of this ministry, quoting Isa Zarepour, corrected his words, stating that in recent days, there have been temporary restrictions in some areas and at certain times, which have been resolved, and currently, the communication network has no issues in terms of speed and quality.
However, the reality of the internet in Iran proves otherwise, as its quality and speed have significantly declined.
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