Iranian Parliament approves investigation into countrywide anti-censorship tools

BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 25.​ The Iranian Parliament has approved a comprehensive investigation into the use of anti-censorship tools and the management of national data access systems, Trend reports, citing the parliament’s information portal. The report, which was added to the parliamentary agenda and passed by majority vote, focuses on anti-filters, filter keys, and virtual private networks (VPNs). Out of the 223 lawmakers who took part in the vote, an overwhelming majority of 198 supported the measure, while 8 opposed it and 2 chose to abstain. The investigation will examine multiple areas, including the extent of internet consumption abroad relative to domestic use, the illegal sale of anti-censorship tools within Iran, the recording of national network data on foreign platforms, oversight of anti-filter sales by regulatory authorities, and the monitoring of citizens’ proper internet usage. Iran has long restricted access to certain information portals and social networks, prompting widespread use of anti-filters such as VPNs. Reports indicate that annual VPN sales in the country range from 200 to 500 trillion rials (about $329-823 million). Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel