Authoritarian Resilience and Internet Controls in Iran

Studies on the internet in authoritarian regimes have shed light on the repressive effects of internet controls as well as forms of internet use that contribute to regime legitimacy and performance, such as online surveys and propaganda. Controlling dissent and communication in the domestic arena is of course a central motivation for authoritarian internet policies. While setting up multilayered systems of internet governance, however, authoritarian rulers also deal with the complex influences of a globalizing and increasingly interconnected world. Building on approaches from STS and International Relations, this paper analyzes the internet policies of the Iranian state as a form of contestation against the ‘sociotechnical imaginaries’ of the West, especially the US. Responding to both domestic and international challenges on the ideational and the material level, the Iranian regime has adapted its institutions, policies and discourse. The result is a robust national internet infrastructure that lends itself to control, but is also presented as a basis for economic progress and self-reliance. The paper argues that Iran’s internet policies represent a distinct expression of authoritarian resilience and flexibility.