Iran lifts ban on WhatsApp, Google Play, week after pausing new hijab law
13 hours, 16 minutes ago

Iran lifts ban on WhatsApp, Google Play, week after pausing new hijab law

Hindustan Times  

Iran has lifted the ban on Meta's messaging platform WhatsApp and Google Play, a first step to scale back internet restrictions, Reuters quoted the Iranian state media on Tuesday. "A positive majority vote has been reached to lift limitations on access to some popular foreign platforms such as WhatsApp and Google Play", Iran's official IRNA news agency said on Tuesday, referring to a meeting on the matter headed by President Masoud Pezeshkian. The law levies harsher punishments for women who refuse to wear the hijab and for businesses that serve them, penalties previously rejected by Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian as he tries to restart talks with the West over sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program. Pezeshkian could try to convince Iran’s 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state, to halt the bill.

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History of this topic

Iran lifts ban on WhatsApp and Google Play – A turning point for internet freedom?
11 hours, 26 minutes ago

Iran lifts ban on WhatsApp and Google Play – A turning point for internet freedom?

Live Mint  

Iran said it will start easing some of the world’s tightest internet restrictions by lifting its ban on WhatsApp and Google Play — a sign that authorities want to placate domestic opponents as the Islamic Republic faces major economic and foreign-policy challenges. Earlier on Tuesday, Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace approved the lifting of blocks on “certain widely used foreign …

Iran cyberspace council votes to lift ban on WhatsApp: State media
Top News
1 day, 4 hours ago

Iran cyberspace council votes to lift ban on WhatsApp: State media

New Indian Express  

TEHRAN: Iran's top council responsible for safeguarding the internet voted Tuesday to lift a ban on the popular messaging application WhatsApp, which has been subject to restrictions for over two years, state media reported. "The ban on WhatsApp and Google Play was removed by unanimous vote of the members of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace," the official IRNA news agency …

Iran wants to give Ronaldo a special SIM card to access unblocked internet
1 year, 3 months ago

Iran wants to give Ronaldo a special SIM card to access unblocked internet

Al Jazeera  

Some Iranians say it would be an insult and discrimination to offer Ronaldo services that citizens can’t access. Tehran, Iran – Iran wants to give Cristiano Ronaldo and other foreign football players who will soon travel to Tehran a special SIM card that will allow them to access the internet without restrictions – something Iranian citizens cannot do – which …

Protest-hit Iran says WhatsApp, Instagram to remain blocked
1 year, 10 months ago

Protest-hit Iran says WhatsApp, Instagram to remain blocked

Live Mint  

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has vowed that WhatsApp and Instagram will remain blocked in the country, blaming the online platforms for stoking protests that started over four months ago. Raisi charged that the two platforms, owned by US internet giant Meta, "were at the root of the insecurity in the country during the recent riots", speaking on national television Tuesday …

Starlink: Iran protesters activate ‘close to 100’ illegal internet receivers, Elon Musk says
1 year, 11 months ago

Starlink: Iran protesters activate ‘close to 100’ illegal internet receivers, Elon Musk says

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy There are close to 100 of SpaceX’s Starlink internet terminals operating in Iran, …

Elon Musk greenlit to activate Starlink internet for Iranians
2 years, 3 months ago

Elon Musk greenlit to activate Starlink internet for Iranians

Al Jazeera  

Legal guidance by the American government on expanding internet services to Iranians was changed despite US sanctions on the country. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been given the green light by the United States government to activate the satellite internet service Starlink to help Iranians protesting against the death of a woman in police custody. Azadeh Akbari, from the University …

US allows tech firms to boost internet access in Iran
2 years, 3 months ago

US allows tech firms to boost internet access in Iran

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — American tech firms will be allowed to expand their business in Iran, where most internet access has been cut off in response to anti-government protests, the Treasury Department said Friday. “As courageous Iranians take to the streets to protest the death of Mahsa Amini, the United States is redoubling its support for the free flow of information to …

WhatsApp says it is working to keep Iranians connected
2 years, 3 months ago

WhatsApp says it is working to keep Iranians connected

The Hindu  

Meta Platforms Inc.'s WhatsApp said on Thursday that it was working to keep users in Iran connected after the country restricted access to the app and social media platform Instagram. Iran on Wednesday restricted access to Instagram and WhatsApp, two of the last remaining social networks in the country, amid protests over the death of a woman in police custody, …

31 killed, several arrested: How Iran's protests continue to spread a week after woman's death in hijab arrest
2 years, 3 months ago

31 killed, several arrested: How Iran's protests continue to spread a week after woman's death in hijab arrest

Firstpost  

The protests over the death of an Iranian woman are the biggest in the Islamic Republic since the November 2019 unrest over fuel price rises, and are marked this time by the presence of large numbers of women Paris: Iran has been rocked by a week of protests over the death last week of a young woman, who was arrested …

No Instagram, Whatsapp in Iran as hijab protests grow: Internet curbs explained
2 years, 3 months ago

No Instagram, Whatsapp in Iran as hijab protests grow: Internet curbs explained

Hindustan Times  

Iran blocked access to Instagram and WhatsApp imposing drastic restrictions on internet access on Thursday. Iran Hijab Protests: Iranian demonstrators taking to the streets of the capital Tehran during a protest for Mahsa Amini. "In accordance with a decision by officials, it has no longer been possible to access Instagram in Iran since yesterday evening and access to WhatsApp is …

Iran restricts WhatsApp, Instagram as Mahsa Amini protests grow
2 years, 3 months ago

Iran restricts WhatsApp, Instagram as Mahsa Amini protests grow

Al Jazeera  

NetBlocks says the outage is the ‘most severe’ since the internet was blocked during 2019’s fuel protests. Iran has curbed access to social media networks Instagram and WhatsApp amid protests over the death of a woman in police custody, according to residents and internet watchdog NetBlocks. Last week’s death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by morality police in …

Iranians see widespread internet blackout amid mass protests
2 years, 3 months ago

Iranians see widespread internet blackout amid mass protests

Associated Press  

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iranians experienced a near-total internet blackout on Wednesday amid days of mass protests against the government over the death of a woman held by the country’s morality police for allegedly violating its strictly-enforced dress code. “We’re seeing internet service, including mobile data, being blocked in Iran in the past couple of hours,” Doug Madory, director …

Iranians fear new bill will restrict internet even further
3 years, 4 months ago

Iranians fear new bill will restrict internet even further

Associated Press  

TEHRAN, Iran — For Ali Hedieloo, a 40-year-old making wooden furniture in Iran’s capital, Instagram is more than just a surfeit of glossy images. Iran moved last week toward further government restrictions on Instagram and other apps, as hard-line lawmakers agreed to discuss a bill that many fear will undermine communication, wipe out livelihoods and open the door to the …

Iran’s president criticizes prosecution of telecom minister
3 years, 10 months ago

Iran’s president criticizes prosecution of telecom minister

Associated Press  

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday criticized Iran’s hard-liner dominated judiciary over last week’s prosecution of the countrys telecommunications minister. Judiciary officials cited his refusal to block Instagram and impose limitations on the bandwidth of other foreign social media and messaging systems. Under pressure from hard-liners, the Iranian government has long blocked access to many websites and …

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