"White SIM cards": Exception to Iran's internet ban for regime loyalists
For 11 days, Iran has been under attack, meaning people there have had no internet access for that long. Now the regime has confirmed that there are exceptions.
(Image: Maryam Sheikhi/Shutterstock.com)
More than 11 days after the start of the latest complete internet shutdown in Iran, there is official confirmation that certain individuals and organizations are not affected. This comes from Fatemeh Mohajerani, the spokesperson for the Islamic Republic. She has stated that “measures have been taken so that such equipment is only available to those who can carry our voice to others,” as cited by IranWire. Although she did not provide further details, she is likely referring to special SIM cards that allow continued online access and are specifically distributed for propaganda purposes. Iran's president had promised in December to have these “white SIM cards” deactivated so that everyone would have to experience the “darkness” equally, as reported by Iran International.
According to Netblocks, the special arrangement for a small minority of regime-loyal organizations and individuals is also evident in the internet traffic data. The organization regularly points out the ongoing internet blockade and states that the Islamic Republic's connectivity has fallen to one percent of normal levels. This small remainder is said to be accounted for by state media, which are intended to spread the Islamic Republic's perspective. Iran's President, Massud Peseschkian, has repeatedly criticized this tried-and-tested approach but stated in December that he could not take action against it. Therefore, he wanted to have the white SIM cards blocked, but he has apparently not succeeded in that either. In Iran, the real power lies with the so-called Supreme Leader.
Contact with the rest of the world cut off
The current internet blockade was imposed on February 28, when Israel and the USA began to carry out airstrikes on Iran. Among others, Ali Khamenei was killed, and his son has since been installed as the new Supreme Leader. Iran has also begun to attack various neighboring countries. Among others, two data centers of the Amazon subsidiary AWS were hit. With the internet shutdown, the regime aims to nip protests in the bud, among other things. The previous internet shutdown was imposed after what were presumably the largest demonstrations in the history of the Islamic Republic at the beginning of the year. When communication with the outside world was interrupted, they were brutally suppressed.
Videos by heise
The vast majority of people in Iran currently have access only to a strictly regulated national internet, where it is impossible to obtain independent information. Its development has been driven for years; it is marketed under the names “Internet-e Halal,” meaning Islamic network, or “Internet-e Melli,” literally translated as People's Internet. Currently, there are also reports that the government is sending out mass SMS messages warning people against protesting. Ahmadreza Radan, the highest police chief in the country, has threatened, according to Deutsche Welle, that protesters would be treated as enemies: “All our forces have their fingers on the trigger.”
(mho)
