U.S. State Department’s Deputy Director of the Office of Iranian Affairs Henry Wooster, Iranian journalist and cartoonist Nikahang Kowsar, and founder of the news site Balatarin Mehdi Yahyanejad examined the state of media and information technology in Iran. Brookings Institution’s Suzanne Maloney moderated the discussion. 

Internet as a Threat to the Regime

The Iranian government sees the internet as a potentially destabilizing force, Yahyanejad asserted. As a result, it has taken steps to improve its control over the internet:

  • Shifting Internet Censorship: The government adjusts the level of censorship depending on the current political situation, Yahyanejad explained.
     
  • Surveillance: The government monitors the text messages and unencrypted web traffic of activists. For example, Yahoo email is particularly vulnerable to surveillance.
     
  • Hacking: The Iranian government has become fairly sophisticated in its ability to hack into computers and email accounts of activists.
     
  • Content Production: The government increases the production of content sympathetic to the regime and employs cyber officers to leave web comments that support the regime and attack dissidents.

  • National Internet: The government has also proposed creating a national, or ‘halal,’ internet, which aims to isolate international and national communications by separating external and internal web traffic, Yahyanejad said. This would facilitate increased surveillance.

Forms of Censorship

According to Kowsar, censorship in Iran is not only performed by the regime. He identified other forms of censorship, such as self-censorship and censorship by reformist news outlets. Kowsar pointed out that criticism of reformists is taboo in some opposition circles. He himself has been labeled “pro-regime” when he has expressed criticism of reformists.

Journalists in Iran

  • Independence of Journalists: Journalists should be loyal to the citizens, but journalists in Iran are frequently loyal to party leaders or the government. Too often, this means that instead of being independent and verifying facts, journalist write stories they know will appeal to their audience or political faction, Kowsar added.
     
  • Future of Journalism in Iran: Iranians are tired of the official state channels, newspapers, and political websites, Kowsar said. He called on Iranian journalists to start presenting all sides of a story in their reporting. Many news websites, Kowsar added, lack accountability, which is a very important dimension of responsible journalism.

Role of the U.S. Government

Wooster highlighted the steps that the United States is taking to use media and information technologies to connect with people in Iran and break the “electronic curtain” around Iran.

  • Alan Eyre: The appointment of Alan Eyre as the official spokesperson has helped the United States to have a voice in Iran. This may become a permanent position.
     
  • Ahmed Shaheed: The United States strongly supported the appointment of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, who helps to maintain international attention on human rights issues in Iran.
     
  • Civil Society: The United States is also works with Iranian civil society activists both within and without the country. 
     
  • U.S. Virtual Embassy: In December 2011, the United States launched its virtual embassy for Iranian citizens, which aims to provide a website that covers all information on U.S. policy toward Iran.
     
  • Moving Beyond the Internet: The United States is aware that most Iranians get their news from the official state media and, accordingly, is using tools to circumvent satellite jamming and censorship and move beyond the internet.