"The damage is irreversible," laments the 24-year-old. Because the profits from sales of accessories 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," the Tehran resident told AFP.

The young entrepreneur had embarked on e-commerce based on the enthusiasm of Iranians, who are no exception when it comes to spending hours surfing and expressing herself on social media platforms.

But online sales have been hit hard by restrictions imposed after the death in custody on 16 September 2022 of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for failing to comply with the Islamic Republic's strict dress code.

This death sparked a vast protest movement that led to the death of hundreds of people and the arrest of thousands more.

For the past year, Internet access has been severely limited before being relaxed a little with the end of the demonstrations.

But the blocking persists for the most popular foreign platforms, such as WhatsApp and especially Instagram, the most popular for online shops.

A man checks his mobile phone, September 10, 2023 in Tehran © ATTA KENARE / AFP

The Islamic Republic had already imposed restrictions on apps like Facebook and Twitter (renamed X) since 2009, following protests against a disputed presidential election.

In November 2019, the government blocked nationwide connections during protests triggered by the sudden rise in fuel prices.

Rush on VPNs

In an attempt to evade restrictions and access banned websites or apps – including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube – Iranians are using VPNs (virtual private networks).

According to Top10VPN, a site specializing in digital security, the demand for VPN services in Iran has skyrocketed, with an estimated jump of "3,082%" compared to September 26, 2022.

A VPN on a mobile phone, September 11, 2023 in Tehran © ATTA KENARE / AFP

But their use "increases costs and probably has security gaps," said Mohammad Rahim Pouya, a 32-year-old psychologist who consults his patients online via blocked apps. "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 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, especially of raw materials to make the bags it sells.

The reformist daily Shargh reported in February that Iranian internet service providers had seen their revenues drop by 40 percent as a result of the restrictions.

For its part, the government spent $773 million in 2022 on digital control, making it the second biggest spender after Russia, according to market research 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, Internet users judging that, as it stands, they were not as effective. "We have not found any alternative" to international platforms, says Alma Samimi.

In the meantime, "we use platforms that are still open like Meet," Google's video and audio calling app, says Rahim Pouya. "But we don't know what we would do if the government totally blocked the connections," the psychologist adds.

A woman speaks on the phone in a street in Tehran, on September 10, 2023 in Iran © ATTA KENARE / AFP

In March, Telecommunications Minister Issa Zarepour announced that the government would allow international platforms to operate in the country if they agreed to open representative offices there.

Meta, the US giant that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, responded that it had no plans to set up shop in Iran, a country subject to a severe sanctions regime by the United States.

© 2023 AFP