Iran begins to ease internet restrictions, lifting the ban on WhatsApp and Google Play Store.
The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reports that Iran's Supreme Council for Cyberspace has approved the unblocking of "certain widely used foreign platforms," including WhatsApp and Google Play as the first two applications to be unblocked.
The committee, led by President Ebrahim Raisi, includes the Speaker, the head of the judiciary, and several ministers, who unanimously voted to lift the ban on these applications.
When Raisi was elected president in July, he promised to relax internet freedoms for Iranians, but it is still unclear when this decision will take effect.
The report states that the process of lifting internet space restrictions will be multi-staged and ongoing, not limited to just one or a few platforms.
This move is seen as an attempt by the authorities to appease domestic opposition amid significant economic and foreign policy challenges facing Iran.
However, there are those within Iran who do not welcome the lifting of internet restrictions. The reformist newspaper Shargh reports that out of 290 parliamentarians, 136 have written to the Supreme Council, calling this move a "gift to the enemies" of Iran.
The parliamentarians call for only those platforms that recognize Iranian social values and comply with Iranian laws to be unblocked.
Since the 2009 protests against the re-election of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and following the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in custody after being arrested for improper hijab wearing in September 2022, a massive wave of protests erupted, leading authorities to list Instagram and WhatsApp among the banned application platforms.
Public information shows that Iran's restrictions on access to foreign internet applications started relatively late, although many platforms including social media sites Twitter, Facebook, and video service YouTube have long been banned in Iran. However, due to the lack of local applications, foreign platforms like Telegram, Instagram, and WhatsApp quickly became the most popular social platforms in Iran.
Over the years, Iranians have become accustomed to using Virtual Private Networks or VPNs to circumvent internet restrictions.
