Several pro-government social media activists in Iran issued public apologies after a new transparency feature on X revealed that their accounts had been granted unrestricted internet access, a privilege reserved for only a select few by the authorities.
The accounts of several journalists and activists - on both reformist and conservative camps - were exposed by the feature, triggering widespread backlash from ordinary Iranian internet users who struggle daily to access the web. The controversy quickly spread under the hashtags #LocationGate and #Whitelisted_Line”.
“I swear on my honor that I will never again be active on any social network without a VPN,” right-wing social media activist Amir Tanha wrote on Monday. “To all friends who became upset or disappointed with me: I give my word of honor that, as always, I will stand with the people."
“I request the relevant authorities to immediately restore my line back to the same state as the rest of the people of Iran,” he posted on X. “Please forgive me.”
Right-leaning journalist Behnam Abdollahi issued a similar apology, relinquishing his privileged access.
“Without any further explanation, I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart to all my dear compatriots and ask for your forgiveness,” Abdollahi posted on X.
“I request the relevant authorities to return my line to normal status. I give my word of honor that as a journalist I will never use any special privileges and will remain with the people. May God grant us all a good end," he added.
The apologies sparked thousands of replies, many mocking them as insincere.
“The ‘whitelisted SIM card’ is not the issue,” wrote user Hatef Salehi. “What sparked public outrage was the double standards of those posing as standing by the people.”
Fayyaz Zahed who until recently was a member of President Masoud Pezeshkian’s Information Council, posted an apology in the same tone.
“Now that I’ve seen how upsetting this is for people, I’ve asked my friends – since I’m no longer in the government – to make my line normal. I hope filtering is lifted.”
‘Orwellian discrimination’
Tehran-based whistleblower and journalist Yashar Soltani compared the privileged access to behavior of some characters in George Orwell's Animals Farm.
“Seeing the ‘whitelisted internet’ of officials – especially the hardliners who oppose free internet – reminded me of the pigs in Animal Farm. They enter through the main gate while people must climb over the wall," Soltani posted on X.
Freedom, when rationed, is no longer freedom; it is structural discrimination. White internet for 90 million Iranians!" he added.
Iran’s “White Line” or “white SIM cards” provide privileged, unfiltered internet access to select elites, officials and government loyalists, bypassing national censorship, according to journalists who enjoyed the privilege.
X (formerly Twitter) has been officially blocked for ordinary users in Iran since 2009, though many senior officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, maintain active accounts.
In July 2025, Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace approved tiered internet regulations, officially to empower “digital businesses,” but critics denounce the system as “digital apartheid” that rewards loyalty and deepens inequality.
The intensity of the reaction reflects a deeper public grievance with longstanding filtering policies.
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