.New agency set up to control cyberspace in Iran

NCR

The Iranian regime has set up a new police force to control internet use. The new organ, known with its acronyms AFTA, is charged with controlling information exchange in cyberspace, according to the state-run Tabnak website on Sunday.

The commander of the regime’s State Security Forces (SSF), Ahmadi Moqaddam, announced on Saturday that AFTA will begin its operations early next year.

The new organ will be the headquarters for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) cyberspace unit and other institutions set up by the regime to filter internet websites.

Ahmadi Moqaddam also suggested that the clerical regime considers its security threatened as more and more people in Iran connect to the World Wide Web. He added, “Scientific progress has facilitated security breaches and this has set up the stage for the commission of increased crimes.”

Ahmadi Moqaddam also said the regime is planning to quadruple the budget of operations to control the internet.

The number of suppressive organs created by the regime thus far, including a variety of police forces, has now reached 60.