A woman speaks on the phone in a street in Tehran, September 4, 2023 in Iran (AFP/ATTA KENARE)
For years, Alma Samimi grew her online handbag sales site in Iran, but her revenues have plummeted since authorities restricted internet access following the fall 2022 protests.
“The damage is irreversible,” laments the 24-year-old young woman. Because profits from accessories sales on his Instagram account “are down 80%” over one year.
Visits to her page, to which several thousand people were subscribed, “have declined dramatically compared to last year”, adds this resident of Tehran interviewed by AFP.
The young entrepreneur launched into e-commerce by leveraging the enthusiasm of Iranians, who are no exception when it comes to spending hours surfing and expressing themselves on social media platforms. .
But online sales were hit hard by the restrictions imposed after the death in detention on September 16, 2022 of Mahsa Amini, arrested for non-compliance with the strict dress code in force in the Islamic Republic.
This death triggered a vast protest movement which led to the deaths of hundreds of people and the arrest of thousands of others.
For a year, Internet access has been severely limited in turn before being relaxed a little with the end of the demonstrations.
A man checks his cell phone on September 10, 2023 in Tehran (AFP/ATTA KENARE)
But the blockage persists for the most popular foreign platforms, such as WhatsApp and especially Instagram, the most popular for online stores.
The Islamic Republic had already imposed restrictions on apps like Facebook and Twitter (renamed X) since 2009, following protests over a disputed presidential election.
In November 2019, the government blocked connections nationwide during protests triggered by the sudden rise in fuel prices.
– Rush on VPNs –
To try to escape restrictions and access banned websites or applications – notably Facebook, Twitter and YouTube – many Iranians use VPNs (virtual private networks).
A VPN on a cell phone, September 11, 2023 in Tehran (AFP/ATTA KENARE)
According to Top10VPN, a site specializing in digital security, demand for VPN services in Iran has skyrocketed, with an estimated jump of “3,082%” compared to September 26, 2022.
But their use “increases costs and probably presents security flaws,” laments Mohammad Rahim Pouya, a 32-year-old psychologist who consults his patients online via blocked applications. “But what is the other option?” he asks.
The psychologist claims to have lost “more than 50%” of his online clientele in the first days of the Internet shutdown.
In the absence of certainty for the future, “we cannot plan our future activities”, also worries Alma Samimi, also faced with the sharp rise in prices, in particular of raw materials to manufacture the bags she sells.
The reformist daily Shargh reported in February that Iranian Internet service providers had seen their revenues fall by 40% due to the restrictions.
For its part, the government spent $773 million in 2022 on digital control, making it the second highest spending country after Russia, according to market analysis firm Statista.
In recent months, the Ministry of Telecommunications has pushed Iranians to migrate from Western platforms to local alternatives, such as Bale, Ita, Rubika or Soroush.
But the latter are struggling to break through, with Internet users judging that, as they stand, they are not as effective. “We have not found any alternative” to international platforms, notes Alma Samimi.
A woman speaks on the phone in a street in Tehran, September 10, 2023 in Iran (AFP/ATTA KENARE)
In the meantime, “we use platforms that are still open like Meet”, Google’s video and audio calling application, indicates Rahim Pouya. “But we don’t know what we would do if the government completely blocked connections,” adds the psychologist.
In March, Telecommunications Minister Issa Zarepour announced that the government would allow international platforms to work in the country if they agreed to open representative offices there.
Meta, the American giant that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, responded that it had no intention of setting up in Iran, a country subject to a severe sanctions regime by the United States.
© 2023 AFP
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