Open Letter from the Tehran Electronic Commerce Association to the Minister of Communications Regarding the Blocking of the “Doctor Doctor” Platform
The Tehran Electronic Commerce Association has issued an open letter addressed to Sattar Hashemi, Minister of Communications and Head of the Digital Economy Development Task Force, protesting the sudden blocking of the “Doctor Doctor” platform and demanding immediate clarification and removal of this restriction.
According to the Public Relations Office of the Tehran Electronic Commerce Association, while the development of the digital economy and support for innovative businesses have been highlighted as key national policy priorities, the sudden blocking of domestic service platforms has once again raised serious concerns among private sector stakeholders. The latest example of this approach is the blocking of “Doctor Doctor,” a well-known digital health platform that connects doctors and patients and serves tens of thousands of active users. This action was taken without prior warning, judicial notification, or official explanation, prompting the association to call for transparency and the immediate lifting of this restriction in an open letter to the Minister of Communications.
The letter states:
“It is brought to your attention that for nearly 30 hours, the domestic platform ‘Doctor Doctor,’ with tens of thousands of users and a large community of doctors and patients, has been completely blocked without any prior warning, judicial order, or clear communication. We understand this action was taken following a complaint by the Food and Drug Administration, which for months has had disagreements and challenges with online health platforms regarding their operations. Unfortunately, instead of resolving these issues through dialogue, cooperation, and the development of practical and enforceable technical regulations, we are now witnessing the outcome as the blocking of a domestic business, depriving people of essential health services.
This action, which contradicts legal procedures and approved regulations and has caused serious concerns among private sector actors and users, raises fundamental questions:
- On what legal basis is a recognized and active digital health business being taken offline in this manner?
- Why has there been no explanation from the responsible authorities regarding the reasons for this blocking?
- Considering the composition of the Criminal Content Identification Task Force, which includes several government members, how was such a decision made and executed? And why did government representatives not prevent this action?
The Tehran Electronic Commerce Association considers this process a serious threat to public trust in the country’s digital business environment and calls for an immediate response from the Ministry of Communications to clarify the reasons and legal basis for this decision. Furthermore, as the custodian of the country’s digital economy development, the Ministry of Communications is expected to defend domestic businesses and take all necessary measures to promptly remove this restriction.”
If you want, I can help adapt this letter for different tones or formalities.
