Statement of the Electronic Commerce Association: “Internet Shutdowns” Are Taking Us Back to the Stone Age!

In an official statement, the Electronic Commerce Association (ECA) firmly condemned widespread internet shutdowns and the implementation of a “tiered internet” system, demanding free, high-speed, and non-discriminatory internet access for all Iranian citizens.

According to the Public Relations department of the Tehran Electronic Commerce Association, the statement reads as follows:

“A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within.” We can endure the hardships of war against a foreign enemy through unity and hope. We can remain resilient against threats from adversaries of Iran’s ancient civilization by relying on the power of a hopeful nation. However, we cannot tolerate the destruction of our country’s critical infrastructure at the hands of our own decision-makers, nor can we remain silent.

Over the past year, the country’s internet has been shut down for more than 100 days, and during the recent conflict, we experienced a record of over 60 consecutive days of total connectivity blackouts. Even more bitterly, instead of taking responsibility and restoring connectivity, state officials continue to justify this misguided path using excuses that digital experts and the general public find fundamentally flawed and unacceptable.

1. Cybersecurity is frequently cited by officials as a pretext for cutting off the internet, yet the largest cyberattacks—including the hacking of several major national banks—occurred during periods of complete internet shutdowns. For experts, it is glaringly obvious that high-level cyber infiltrations and attacks can easily be executed via internal network bridgeheads within the country. While spies and hackers have numerous workarounds at their disposal—including whitelisted IPs, tiered internet access, satellite internet (Starlink), border-zone roaming, and advanced technical tunneling methods—blocking internet access for the ordinary people of Iran under such pretexts defies all logic. Furthermore, officials speak of cybersecurity while their own internet shutdowns disrupt security equipment updates and hinder effective countermeasures against cyber threats. Simultaneously, by fueling a rampant black market for VPNs, they have rendered the digital space structurally vulnerable, thereby exacerbating national cyber insecurity.

2. These days, state officials constantly invoke tens of millions of compatriots who are willing to sacrifice their lives for Iran. With such a profound asset, the country and the ruling establishment have no need to suppress or censor the internet; rather, they should undoubtedly clear the path to amplify the narratives and collective voice of the nation. Cutting off the internet surrenders the narrative exclusively to specific factions inside and outside the country—groups that can never truly represent the vast spectrum of the great Iranian nation.

3. However, the most bizarre and inhumane phenomenon in the country today is the stratification and polarization of society by officials through the commercial sale of “tiered internet” at prices at least five times higher than standard rates. Providing internet access exclusively to certain classes and guilds is, in our view, an exploitation of a fundamental necessity of every modern citizen. How can a basic, indisputable right be stripped from one citizen and handed to another, under any pretext or classification? Is there any Iranian citizen who does not rely on the internet for dozens of essential, everyday needs? By what logic can these vital needs be ignored? How can the basic rights of a homemaker, a retiree, a teenager, a local merchant, an employee, a worker, or any other Iranian be stripped away under the claim that the internet should only belong to a select few?

The Electronic Commerce Association, as the representative of a major segment of Iran’s private digital economy sector, declares its resolute protest against “internet shutdowns,” “tiered internet,” and the lack of accountability among officials. We reaffirm that a free, open, and high-speed internet is an unalienable citizenship right for every individual in Iran.