Iran Uses Internet as a Tool of Repression Amid Rising Protests, Researcher Says

Benny Sabti, an Iran researcher and head of the Iran desk at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), presented a grim analysis of Iran’s internal digital warfare during a conference on public order in the digital age held at the Western Galilee Academic College. Sabti emphasized that unlike Western perceptions, technology in Iran is not a democratizing force but often a violent means of oppression. He explained that the regime views its own citizens as its greatest enemy, while the public sees the regime as their adversary, resulting in no tolerance for protests or demonstrations. Any online call for protest risks immediate arrest or execution.

Sabti highlighted the deep divide between the regime and the public, reflected in the increasing frequency of protests, which now occur every two to three years compared to once a decade previously. This surge is driven by economic collapse, severe shortages of basic infrastructure like water and electricity, ongoing violations of women’s rights, and a widespread sense of lost human value. The regime only acknowledges the public for propaganda purposes, such as showing crowds at funerals or official events, but those who have lost family members or homes in protests no longer believe these narratives.

Social media platforms like Telegram and Instagram have become battlegrounds. They enabled the women’s protest movement, which included acts like burning headscarves and cutting hair, to gain international attention as a symbol of freedom. However, the regime has also exploited these platforms to sow division, monitor opposition activists, and systematically spread disinformation. Sabti cited a case of an Iranian activist with over a million followers who was lured back to Iran by security forces and sentenced to death.

Sabti concluded that the regime’s control over the internet intensifies as protests grow, with internet shutdowns lasting about 100 days during recent unrest. He stressed that technology alone cannot bring freedom; it follows political liberty and democracy. Under a totalitarian regime, the internet becomes a deadly weapon, used brutally against the regime’s own people rather than external enemies.