The document “Facilitating access to foreign platforms and enhancing law-based governance” was approved in the one hundred and fourth session dated 1403/10/4 to complete the document “Policies and measures for regulating social messengers” (approved in sessions No. 36 to 40) and the document “Review of measures to increase the share of domestic traffic and counter bypass tools” (approved in session No. 96 of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace), with the aim of securing the legitimate and lawful need of the people to access content and services while enhancing law-based governance, and its amendment was approved in the one hundred and fifth session dated 1403/11/23.
At present, this document has been declassified by order of Seyed Mohammad Amin Aghamiri, Secretary of the Supreme Council and Head of the National Cyberspace Center, and made available to journalists. To view and download the full text of the 32-article cyberspace document, you can do so from here.
Part of the text of this document is as follows:
1. The four-stage process for reopening foreign platforms
This resolution conditions the unblocking on step-by-step implementation and approval by the steering working group:
First stage (Google Play and WhatsApp):
Reopening and facilitating access to Google Play and WhatsApp.
Simultaneously providing the necessary technical infrastructure for selected domestic platforms by the Ministry of Communications.
Allocation of a 500 billion toman support package for advertising on radio and television for domestic platforms.
Issuance of a new tariff model for traffic pricing and revenue sharing of content in favor of domestic producers and platforms.
Second stage (YouTube):
Access to YouTube based on “law-based governance” mechanisms (content separation and filtering or use of skins/intermediate tools that are filterable).
Commencing negotiations and attracting participation of new foreign platforms.
Third stage (Telegram):
Obligation of the Ministry of Communications to hold formal negotiations with the Telegram platform to accept the country’s conditions and laws.
Alternative path if not accepted: providing users access to Telegram only through domestically governance-compliant mechanisms (such as skin or intermediary service providers).
Fourth stage (Other platforms and combating circumvention tools):
Determining the status of other widely used platforms after evaluating the results of the previous stages.
Strict criminalization of the production, distribution and commercialization of VPNs and tools that bypass filtering.
Monitoring advertising revenues and preventing tax evasion on foreign platforms./ Mehr