An Iranian youth browses a political blog at an internet cafe in the city of Hamadan (May 2009 file photo)A top Iranian police official says that a new police unit has been setup to combat what he calls "Internet crime". Analysts, however, areinterpreting the move as another step by the government to crack downon the opposition, which uses the Internet heavily to communicate andspread its message.

Iran's top police chief, Brigadier GeneralEsmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam says that his organization is setting up a"cyber police division" to combat what he terms "Internet crime."

FarsNews Agency reported that Ahmadi-Moqaddam complained that "Internetcrime" was on the rise and that the Iranian police must "increase itscapabilities to counter such violations."

Iranian law mixesactivities such as theft, fraud and forgery, with more subtle and oftenpolitical activities lumped together under the categories "defamationand mischief." The latter two categories have analysts worried.

PoliceColonel Mehrdad Omidi, who runs the Internet crime division, stated inthe Iranian press, Saturday, that what he calls "insults and spreadingof lies," would be fought vigorously.

He also noted that a12-member commission would now be involved in policing "politicalmatters on the internet." He said , given the spread of Internet use,police must confront crimes taking police in the Web atmosphere.

MostIranian opposition Web sites, including those of top leaders MirHossein Mousavi and Ayatollah Mehdi Karrubi are considered illegal andare now blocked inside Iran.

Reza Moini of Paris-based NGOReporters Without Borders says that Iran's Revolutionary Guards areincreasingly taking over internet surveillance from other governmentagencies:

He says that there are several points to stress:notably that when the Iranian parliament ratified the Internet lawthere were several institutions put in charge of surveillance, but now,with the opposition movement continuing unabated, the regime isconcerned that the Internet is playing a key role in informing peopleand spreading information. This, he says, is where the police arebecoming involved, and he says, by police, what is meant is the"Guardians of the Revolution," who are increasingly trying to seize thelead.
 
The Intelligence Ministry has clamped down on both theInternet and on mobile phone communications during oppositiondemonstrations to disrupt communications. Opposition activists complainthat internet speeds were brought to dismally slow levels and that theywere forced to use proxies to prevent their IP addresses from beingdetected.

Still, many popular opposition sites, like Mir HosseinMousavi's Facebook Web page, get thousands of visitors daily and putout up-to-the-minute bulletins of opposition activities.

Onewell-known young opposition activist, Mohammed Reza Jalaiepour, who waslater arrested by the government, placed this emotional confessionabout why he joined the opposition on Mousavi's Facebook Web site.

RezaMoini says that there are a handful of Internet activists and websitecreators who have been arrested by the government and are nowlanguishing in prison.

Police Colonel Omidi insists that Iraniangovernment authorities will intervene in political matters on theInternet if there has been an illegal act.

Iranian intellectualsand opposition activists remain in contact with each other and with theoutside world by posting comments and information about theiractivities on Web sites both inside and outside Iran. Many complainthat they live in fear of being detected by the government and arrested.