Touching on Pavel Durov's Detention, Khamenei: There Needs to be a Law to Regulate Cyberspace

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a meeting with President Masoud Pezeshkian and his cabinet. (Source: IRNA)

JAKARTA - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that cyberspace needs to be regulated, citing the arrest of Telegram messaging app founder Pavel Durov in France as an example of how other countries are also imposing controls.

"There needs to be a law to regulate cyberspace. Everyone is doing it. Look at France, they arrested this guy and threatened him with 20 years in prison for violating their law," Khamenei said in a meeting with President Masoud Pezeshkian and his cabinet, Reuters reported on Aug. 27.

Iran has some of the tightest internet controls in the world. But its blocks on U.S.-based social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are routinely bypassed by tech-savvy Iranians using virtual private networks (VPNs).

Iran regularly fines internet users based on the posts they share online.

"Some people don't understand or don't want to understand, but I have said before that the virtual space needs to be regulated so that it can be turned into an opportunity and not a threat," Khamenei said.

During the presidential debate, President Pezeshkian criticized internet censorship, particularly because of its impact on the country’s economy, as many small businesses rely on social media.

Iran is reported to have the third-highest number of internet shutdowns globally by 2023, according to digital rights group Access Now.

This includes shutting down mobile networks, both nationwide and in targeted areas, while also blocking access to Instagram and WhatsApp, the only two major platforms not subject to outright bans, Access Now said.

As previously reported, Russian-born Durov, who holds French and United Arab Emirates citizenship, was arrested in Paris over the weekend as part of an investigation into crimes related to child sexual abuse, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions on the platform, French prosecutors said on Monday.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Durov’s arrest was not politically motivated. Russia has blamed the United States for the detention.

Durov’s detention was extended until Wednesday, after prosecutors gave police more time to conduct questioning. The Telegram messaging platform is blocked in Iran.