Radio Farda:

The social media platform X rolled out a new ‘About This Account’ feature over the weekend that displays basic but key information, such as where an account is based and how it connects to the X app.

It's not a foolproof way to establish where a user is based since virtual private networks (VPNs) change a user’s location. And with X being blocked in Iran since 2009, most Iranians are forced to use VPNs to access X. But a select few in Iran don’t need a VPN.

The new feature has exposed accounts in Iran that access the platform using what Iranians call “white SIM cards,” which allow unrestricted Internet access as part of the so-called “tiered Internet” system in Iran.

Filterwatch, a project by the Texas-based Miaan Group, describes tiered Internet as “a concept that transforms Internet access from a universal right into a special privilege for a select group.”

Once the feature went live, Iranians began inspecting various accounts, from those linked to officials to anonymous accounts with large followings that comment on political matters.

Amir Rashidi, director of Internet security and digital rights at the Miaan Group, told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that a reliable way to figure out whether someone has access to unrestricted Internet is if their new “About This Account” page indicates that they are based in Iran and connecting via the Iran app store.

By law, some Iranian businesses, academics, and journalists can have access to unrestricted Internet. However, they’re not the only ones. Various accounts that post in support of the Islamic republic and back Internet censorship appear to have access to unrestricted Internet in Iran.

Among those that appear to have unrestricted access to the world wide web are the Fars and Tasnim news agencies, which are both affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), as well as several hard-line lawmakers that support restricted Internet access.

“People can now see that while most have trouble accessing the Internet, there’s a group that is benefiting from a discriminatory practice,” Rashidi said.

The new feature can also help expose accounts linked to Iran’s foreign influence operations, such as one called “Jessica” which had been posting high-engagement content in support of Scottish independence.

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