Rewritten Title: Digital Disclosures Spark Debate on National Internet Policy
A recent update to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), which reveals user location data, has ignited a significant public and political discussion regarding internet access and censorship policies within Iran.
The “White Leak” Controversy
The platform’s new feature inadvertently exposed that certain individuals, including some prominent political figures and longtime advocates of internet restrictions, were themselves accessing the global internet without restrictions—a privilege colloquially referred to as a “white line.” This has created a visible contradiction between their public stance and their private actions, leading to widespread criticism from other politicians, journalists, and the general public.
Official Reactions and Denials
The revelations prompted a range of reactions from those implicated. Some, like Amirhossein Shabetti, moved to publicly deny the claims. He asserted that the location data provided by X is often inaccurate and can mistakenly identify Iran as a user’s country of origin even when a virtual private network (VPN) is used.
Conversely, the disclosures also served to clarify the status of other figures. It was revealed that former President Hassan Rouhani and former ICT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi, despite facing criticism from political hardliners, do not possess a “white line” and use VPNs to access filtered platforms. Azari-Jahromi responded with a sarcastic post on his Telegram channel, suggesting those with privileged access should “not keep it to themselves” and share it.
A Shift in Political Discourse?
The incident has also prompted a noticeable shift in rhetoric from some quarters. Hamid Resaee, a member of parliament who has historically been a staunch opponent of lifting internet filters, made a surprising public statement. He declared that the policy of filtering has been “wrong from the start and remains wrong,” and raised concerns about the financial scale of the VPN market.
Further adding to the debate, Yousef Pezeshkian, the son of the current president, framed the issue as one of mutual trust. He stated, “The government cannot expect the people to trust it if it does not trust the people. Filtering is a sign of the government’s distrust of the people.” In a contrasting response, Seyed Mehdi Tabatabaei, Deputy for Communications at the President’s Office, described the act of labeling citizens as “white” or “black” as “playing into the enemy’s hands,” emphasizing that from the president’s view, “all 90 million Iranians are white.”
A Reflection on Policy and Practice
The overarching outcome of these disclosures is a highlighted contrast between long-standing public advocacy for internet restrictions and the private practices of some individuals. The situation has intensified public scrutiny and underscores a pressing demand for policy coherence and alignment between official statements and actions. The debate reinforces the role of digital platforms as arenas where claims and reality can be directly compared, bringing to the forefront ongoing public discourse about national internet policies.