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A recent viral video on social media, featuring a self-proclaimed cybersecurity expert demonstrating how they accessed the home address of an Iranian nuclear scientist using data from the Rasmio platform, has sparked major repercussions. Following the video’s release, Rasmio’s website was taken offline, and it has now emerged that two managers and one technical official of the platform have been temporarily detained.
Users attempting to access Rasmio recently encountered a 504 error indicating the web server was unreachable. Further inquiry revealed that Rasmio’s servers were seized, and key personnel arrested. Official charges have not been publicly announced, with rumors ranging from alleged misuse of privileged access to sensitive databases to selling collected information to non-Iranian parties. However, the minimal evidence shown in the video appears to derive from publicly available information on the Official Gazette website, managed by Iran’s judiciary.
Rasmio is an information database platform for Iranian businesses launched in 2018 by the knowledge-based company Pishgaman Rasmipardaz Dana. It aggregates, analyzes, and structures data from public and official sources, including the Official Gazette, the comprehensive registry of companies and non-commercial institutions, patent and industrial design registries, internet domain registration systems, Tehran Stock Exchange transaction systems, Iran’s Customs Administration, and the Central Bank’s databases.
These data sources are publicly accessible, and Rasmio’s role is to collect and organize this information. Mohammad Hamid Shahrivar, Rasmio’s legal advisor, clarified on the social media platform X that the Official Gazette is the authoritative source for legal announcements, including corporate registrations.
Regarding the alleged possession of classified data by Rasmio, Shahrivar presented evidence that addresses and patent information associated with nuclear scientists have been published publicly in the Official Gazette and not on Rasmio. He argued that if closure or arrests were justified, the Official Gazette website itself and its managing director (appointed by the head of judiciary) should be held accountable.
Rasmio’s lawyer has requested the Tehran District 33 Prosecutor’s Office for Security Crimes to verify with the Tehran District 31 Cyber Crimes Prosecutor’s Office whether Rasmio has possessed or published any classified content.
This case echoes previous challenges faced by digital businesses in Iran, including platforms like Digikala and Divar, related to judicial misunderstandings of digital ecosystems. As of now, judiciary officials have not publicly commented on the Rasmio case. Full outcomes will depend on ongoing investigations and interrogations, highlighting persistent gaps in digital business comprehension within Iran’s legal framework.
