Iran eases internet curbs for businesses as blackout enters third month |
Iran’s top security body has approved a temporary program for businesses to access the global internet with fewer restrictions, a government spokesperson told Iranian media on Tuesday, after the authorities had imposed a blackout since the start of the war with the US and Israel.
“The Supreme National Security Council approved the ‘Internet Pro’ scheme to preserve businesses during times of crisis,” said government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani.
She did not say when the new measures, which had not been previously disclosed by the government, had been introduced.
“Once the situation is announced to be normal by relevant authorities, the situation of the internet will also change,” she added, stressing that the government was receptive to people’s demands and believed in access to the internet as a civil right.
Le Monde reported that since early April, some professional groups have been able to apply for internet access, conditioned on intelligence services’ approval. It listed doctors, teachers, lawyers, and engineers among those benefiting from the arrangement.
The vast majority of Iranians have been unable to access the internet for the last 60 days, according to the internet observatory NetBlocks.
Otherwise — apart from political leaders and some other figures close to the regime who have been granted so-called “white SIM cards” allowing unfettered access — only a few citizens have managed........