Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in a meeting on Monday with President Hassan Rouhani and members of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, described the Council as the main center of informed, responsible and powerful policymaking regarding cyberspace. Referring to the daily growing and rapid expansion of the colossal and unique phenomenon of cyberspace, Ayatollah Khamenei said: “By benefiting from the capabilities and talents of the country’s youth and through correct policymaking and well-calculated and coordinated measures, and without losing any time, we must move towards ending [the country’s] inaction in the arena of the cyberspace, and [also toward] active and influential presence and development of solid and attractive Islamic content [in this arena].
Referring to the extensive influence of cyberspace as an extraordinary source of soft power in different fields including culture, politics, economy, lifestyle, faith, religious beliefs and ethics, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution underscored the necessity for having an appropriate and precise design to safeguard intellectual and moral security of the society in this field, saying: “The [main] requirements for active and influential presence in cyberspace include ‘centralization in decision-making’, ‘seriousness in implementation [of decisions] without losing any time’, ‘coordination among all organs’, and preventing parallel and conflicting activities’ [in this field].”
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution also described government’s planning and support, particularly by the Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology, as very essential for the expansion of industries related to technology and communications, noting: “Expansion of these industries through knowledge-based companies will have a great effect on job creation and development of the country’s economy.”
Ayatollah Khamenei also thanked the former president and members of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace as well as the current and previous secretaries of the Council.
Prior to Ayatollah Khamenei’s speech, President Rouhani and Mohammad Hassan Entezari, the secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, presented a report on the significance of cyberspace as well as the plans and measures taken by the Supreme Council and the National Center of Cyberspace during its first tenure. Also in this meeting, Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, the head of the Judiciary, mentioned several points on the requirements and exigencies of cyberspace.