“Riding the Clouds”: Abr Arvan Cloud Company and the Perspective of Internet Restriction in Iran
by Farzad Seifikaran — 29August2021
”Unfortunately, in our country’s cyberspace, people disregard my insistence and guidance and it [the internet] is too morally loose in some regards. People in charge should be mindful of this. All countries in the world manage and control their cyberspace, [but] we are proud of our lack of control on our cyberspace. We should not be proud of this, there is no dignity in this at all. The cyberspace should be controlled and guided.”
Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, at his Nowruz oration on March 20th, 2021
Since the arrival of the internet in Iran, monitoring and controlling the internet have been one of the main concerns of the government, and they have implemented various measures in this regard. One of the most important of these designs is the National Information Network (Shoma). Many information technology companies are increasingly working on governmental infrastructure and internet localization projects in the last few years. Abr Arvan is one of these companies, the activities of which have raised concerns about the role of private companies in helping the Iranian government dominate the internet.
