'Internet Pro': Inside Iran’s Controversial New Two-Tiered Web System

Iranians are still affected by these connection restrictions, and now there’s a new way for Iranians to access the internet: a two-tier system called “Internet Pro,” that allows pre-approved users to navigate the internet with fewer restrictions, causing divisions among Iranian regime officials.

• Key Takeaways:
• • Netblocks reports Iran’s internet blockade hits day 72, dropping access to 1% since the Feb 28 attacks.
• • Economist Mahdi Ghodsi estimates the blockade costs up to $3B daily and threatens 2M jobs across the economy.
• • Minister Sattar Hashemi opposes the 2-tiered Internet Pro system currently backed by hardliners.

Iranian Internet Blockade Continues As Government Enforces Two-Tiered System

The Iranian internet blockade, which was established as a security measure hours after the U.S.-Israel coalition attacked the Iranian regime on February 28, has hit its 72nd day. The blockade, which has reduced the country’s internet connection to 1%, has also resulted in billions of dollars in losses for the Iranian economy.

Netblocks, an internet observatory that has been monitoring Iran’s blockade since day one, described this measure as unprecedented, stressing that there was “no indication of a wider restoration while authorities bar the general public from international access.”

Nonetheless, the measure has given rise to a new two-tiered system for accessing the internet, with some supporters receiving unfiltered access to international sites. The Iranian general population, meanwhile, remains relegated to a small subset of the internet.

The system, called Internet Pro, has exorbitant prices that leave most Iranians out of its reach, relegating them to virtual private networks (VPNs) and other, more dangerous methods as alternatives. Starlink is also present, but there have been reports of a death tied to the arrest of a citizen due to its use.

Nonetheless, not all agree with this outcome. Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi has expressed opposition to the Internet Pro system, declaring that “tiered internet or a ‘whitelist’ system has no validity,” and that Internet Pro has been misused. Hardliners, including Mohammad Amin Aghamiri, in charge of the governing cyberspace authority, support the policy.

The costs of these internet disruptions rise to $250 million and approach $3 billion daily when accounting for disruptions affecting banks and companies, per Mahdi Ghodsi, an Iranian economist. Layoffs have also risen, with the blockade estimated to result in the loss of two million jobs, affecting nearly 8 million families and hitting Iran’s internal economic system heavily.