Thread by @ARTICLE19Iran

We are deeply alarmed about today's developments in Iran's parliament to hasten implementation of the a restrictive Internet legislation that would fundamentally change the nature of access to the Internet in Iran. Our thread👇
#طرح_صیانت_از_حقوق_کاربران #طرح_صیانت #فیلترنت

This bill has had many iterations, but its current title is known as "The Cyberspace Users Rights Protection and Regulation of Key Online Services". ARTICLE19 believes protection is a deceptive word when concerned with such a legislation meant to restrict and not protect users.

This legislation would curtail online freedoms while replacing [semi]elected officials in charge of Iran's telecom infrastructure with an ad hoc Supreme Leader controlled entity.

The bill calls for the establishment of a new decision making body dominated by unelected officials directly and indirectly appointed by the Supreme Leader. The new entity would be in charge of almost all cyber-related policies from price management to censorship.

If implemented, the bill would curb user access to international online services. A Supreme Leader controlled entity would set a cap for the share of international services of Iran's online space and throttle bandwidth to keep the share within the limit.

The bill would also criminalise production, sale and distribution of censorship circumvention tools (e.g. VPNs) punishable with up to 2 years in jail.

The bill mentions legal production and sale of VPNs which can translate into establishment of a multitiered system for granting access to the internet based on age and profession. Citizens should have unhindered access to information regardless of age and class.

Furthermore, the bill would potentially lead to a blanket ban against all international online services. The ban would impact Iranians’ access to basic services like email and messaging tools.

The bill demands that international tech companies must introduce a legal representative in Iran, agree to operate within Islamic Republic laws, collaborate with judiciary, and pay taxes in order to remain uncensored.

While Islamic Republic is subject to far reaching sanctions, international tech companies, especially any with US entities, are legally unable to accept these demands.

Moreover, international tech companies collaborating with Islamic Republic would have repercussions on civil society and marginalised groups that are regularly targeted by the state in monitoring, surveillance and even hacking operations.

As per the bill, control of Iran Internet gateways (infrastructure connecting the country to the Internet) would be transferred to a new entity dominated by the armed forces and security agencies.

Delegating control over key Internet infrastructure to entities that lack transparency and accountability is alarming.

The bill would also bar the private sector from providing bandwidth in Iran; this would further centralise Iran’s communication network.

The policy is certain to discourage private investment in communications and can intensify digital disparity between Iran and other countries.

To hasten implementation of the bill, Iran's parliament today invoked Article 85 of Islamic Republic's constitution which allows MPs to set up a committee to review the bill and then “experimentally” implement it for 3-5 years. After they can revise and ratify it permanently.

Invoking Article 85 for implementing legislation with far reaching ramifications would delegate the decision over the ratification of the bill to a small group of MPs working behind closed doors and therefore curb accountability and threaten transparency.

In conclusion, @article19org is deeply alarmed for the aggressive transformation the implementation of such a dangerous bill would have on rights and every layer of Iranian society. This bill must not be enacted. End//