“Security, digital economy can’t sustain by blocking Internet”

Hashemi made the statement at a reception with the media people covering the ICT Ministry’s news to commemorate the national Reporter’s Day on Monday evening.

“Constructive criticism by the media in the course of developing the country’s communications sector is valuable to the ICT Ministry. We welcome the continuation of this interaction and dialogue,” he stated.

Referring to the special circumstances in recent months in the wake of the Israeli-US military aggression of Iran, the minister added: “The country found itself in difficult circumstances and was involved in a war imposed on it and its consequences. It affected the course of development programs in the field of ICT.”

Hashemi said that under these circumstances, expectations regarding the desirable quality of communications services were reduced to some extent, and priority was given to maintaining access to the Internet.

“Despite all the restrictions and pressures, round-the-clock efforts were made to restore the Internet, and of course, had it not been for the perseverance of President Pezeshkian and the efforts led by First Vice President Aref, this would not have been achieved.”

The ICT Minister rejected certain views that consider access to the Internet necessary only for particular groups such as students, professors or researchers, saying “In today’s world, it cannot be said that the Internet is needed only by a limited group. A graduate who intends to conduct research, a business, a worker, a carpenter, a housewife and every other citizen may need the Internet.”

“Even in the field of artificial intelligence, we cannot speak of developing this technology while ignoring its requirements. As someone who has worked in the field of artificial intelligence for around three decades, I emphasize that cutting off global communications effectively means setting aside an important part of the path towards the development of artificial intelligence.”

National Information Network not a rival to global Internet

Hashemi also noted that the development of the National Information Network and improving the quality of international Internet access are not two contradictory paths.

“The ICT Ministry is by no means in favor of substituting one with the other and is simultaneously pursuing the strengthening of the domestic network and international communications.”

Hashemi stated: “Those who raise the global Internet-National Information Network dichotomy harm the National Information Network and also cause public concern.”

“The National Information Network should be a network that provides high-quality and worthy services to the people with an economic approach and in a competitive environment, and is able to secure its share of the market.”

Referring to the growth of domestic platforms under conditions of equitable Internet access for users, Hashemi said, “When access is available to all citizens, domestic platforms can also grow in a competitive environment. The more than 10 percent growth of the Bale messaging platform under such conditions is an example of this potential.”

He cited the experience that monopoly in any field, from the automobile industry to technology, is detrimental to development, and said: “The first sector to suffer under monopoly conditions is research and development, because research and development is a costly field and, in the absence of a competitive environment, the incentive to invest in it declines.”

Hashemi noted that the ICT Ministry will employ all its capabilities to strengthen the network infrastructure at the core and access layers inside the country, as well as to develop international communications.

ICT Ministry against stripping government of cyberspace regulatory powers

In another part of his remarks concerning the plan known as the Cyberspace Regulation Plan, Hashemi said: “The ICT Ministry has received and presented the detailed views of its various deputies on this issue, and the new version of the plan will also be reviewed when it is submitted.”

Emphasizing the need to preserve the government’s legal powers in the field of cyberspace regulation, he added: “There is no reason for the government’s powers in this area to be placed elsewhere, because such an approach could conflict with several principles of the Constitution.”

“In a system of governance, decisions cannot be made for which those responsible are not accountable to the people. Decisions must be made on the basis of evidence and logic, communicated transparently to the people, and responsibility for them must also be accepted.”

“If decisions are made without transparency and accountability, we will subsequently witness the erosion of social capital,” he stressed.

Security and global communications not in conflict

He referred to the need to ensure security under the country’s wartime and sensitive circumstance and said, “No one has any doubt about the importance of security, and we are all concerned about the country’s security and wartime conditions.”

“However, we must bear in mind that in today’s world, life without global communications is impossible,” the ICT Minister added.

He lauded Iran’s digital economy capabilities, and stated: “Iran’s economic and technological ecosystem is part of a larger global ecosystem, and many Iranian platforms, knowledge-based companies and startups have a high capacity to compete internationally.”

“These capabilities must be strengthened, rather than being deprived of communication with the world.”

Hashemi also referred to the need to trust the people, saying: “The Iranian people have shown at various junctures that they have a high capacity for cooperation, crisis management and maintaining the country’s stability. This social capital must be addressed and trusted.”

Countering cyberspace threats through powerful content

In the final part of his remarks, the ICT Minister referred to the issue of cognitive warfare and cyberspace threats, and stressed the importance of producing impactful content.

“One of the issues that was also consistently emphasized by the martyred Leader of the Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei was the importance of having an impact in cyberspace and paying attention to content.”

“The experience gained from recent events showed that if appropriate and impactful content is produced and disseminated across different platforms, it can influence public opinion. Based on analytical reports presented on the media environment surrounding the funeral ceremony of the martyred Leader of the Revolution, the content orientation on some foreign platforms, including Instagram, was overall in favor of the country.”

Hashemi further stressed: “Being present in cyberspace and using the capacity of various platforms does not mean abandoning the field. Rather, through producing appropriate content, creating an impact and effective narrative-building, the capacity of this space should be used in the national interest.”

He concluded by expressing his appreciation for journalists and the news media, saying, “The ICT Ministry considers itself in need of criticism, questions and the views of the media. It seeks to strengthen this communication and dialogue more than before.”