Iran News: Official Admits VPN Profits Stall Censorship Reforms as Rulers Fear Unfiltered Information
Written by
Shahriar Kia
In a rare admission, Majid Ansari, Masoud Pezeshkian’s presidential deputy for Legal Affairs, acknowledged on November 11 that powerful groups profiting from VPN sales are actively working to prevent any easing of Iran’s internet censorship. “People are forced to rely on VPN sellers who make exorbitant profits, preventing any meaningful change,” Ansari told ISNA. This admission sheds light on an industry of censorship profiteers operating under the regime’s watch, benefiting directly from the public’s struggle to access the free internet.
Yet, this critique does not signal genuine support for citizens’ rights to free information. Instead, officials like Ansari and Social Affairs Advisor Ali Rabiei are responding to the growing pressure of a discontented public, increasingly frustrated with the costs and hardships imposed by censorship. Rabiei recently noted the $1 billion annual cost of internet restrictions for Iranians, citing concerns about “social consequences.”
Despite Masoud Pezeshkian’s campaign promises to end restrictive internet policies, he has taken no meaningful action. His administration’s stance mirrors the regime’s determination to maintain tight control over information flows. Ansari’s remarks expose the regime’s underlying motives: officials fear the political implications of unfiltered information and view open access to information as a threat to their authority. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has consistently condemned what he calls the “uncontrolled” nature of the internet, framing censorship as a matter of national security.
#Iran News in Brief
MP Javad Nikbin admits that the clerical regime not only imposes political restrictions through #internet censorship but also benefits economically from it.
He stated in a TV interview, “I believe and say it explicitly that the authors of internet censorship… pic.twitter.com/oSGV4ensuh— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) November 8, 2023
The government’s hypocrisy is further highlighted by conservative MP Mehrdad Lahouti’s statement that “all state officials and parliament members use VPNs for free, but ordinary citizens are forced to pay for it.” This selective access to uncensored internet demonstrates that the state’s censorship policies are not about national interest, but about maintaining control and keeping Iranians isolated from global information networks.
State censorship policies have been highly profitable for regime-connected players. Parliament members like Javad Nikbin and Gholamreza Nouri Ghazalcheh have publicly disclosed the role of pro-filtering figures in Iran’s VPN trade. Nikbin described a “well-organized market” in which “the same people who write filtering policies are often the ones profiting from VPN sales.” With these statements, it is increasingly clear that the VPN market is not a black-market operation but a semi-official network profiting from public hardship.
On October 24, in response to anti-censorship sentiment, extremist factions staged a pro-censorship rally, urging continued internet restrictions. Despite the regime’s efforts to drum up support, the turnout was low, reflecting widespread dissatisfaction among Iranians. Pezeshkian’s silence on the matter, coupled with increasing efforts to police VPN use rather than lift censorship, underscores a disturbing reality: for Iran’s leadership, censorship is a critical tool to suppress dissent and preserve their grip on power, leaving the public to bear the cost.