Following reports of disruptions in access to Telegram social networking site, Iran’s minister of communications denied any involvement from government censorship in blocking the site. ISNA reports that Mahmoud Vaezi the communications minister said on Tuesday the ministry has no plans on restricting social networking sites. ISNA had reported on Sunday about the interruptions […]
Tag: internet censorship
Two websites linked to reformists blocked
Iran has blocked two news websites after they published reports about former reformist president Mohammad Khatami and pictures of him, state-run IRNA news agency said Friday. The agency, quoting a judicial source, said the Tehran prosecutor’s office “demanded the filtering” of Baharnews.ir and Jamaran.ir because of the posts. Newspapers have said judicial authorities told […]
Facebook users charged for alleged threat to “Iranian lifestyle”
A group of Facebook users has been arrested for the charge of “spreading corruption and degeneration of the Iranian lifestyle” The Mehr News Agency reported on January 31 that the detainees were the chief figures in an active network and were identified in a project referred to as “ankaboot” (spider). The head of the […]
Minister sees losing battle in blocking social websites
Iran’s Minister of Communications says internet social networking sites cannot be blocked because the country cannot replace them. The Fars news agency reports that in a speech in Khoramshahr on Thursday January 30, Mahmoud Vaezi said: “We cannot block social networking programs because we cannot replace them.” He stressed that blocking these sites, therefore, […]
Judiciary orders blocking of mobile networking sites
The Iranian judiciary has issued an order to block the social networking sites for Line, WhatsApp and Tango, IRNA reports. The news comes after months of conflict between the judiciary and the administration over the filtering of social networking sites. The Rohani administration insists that the government should only block the criminal content of websites […]
Internet filters to be custom-fit for each user
Iran’s Deputy Communications Minister says Smart Filtering will be implemented on the basis of “age, profession and the needs of users.” Mahmoud Khosravi told the Mehr News Agency: “Up to now, the blocking of information was done at the international gateway but now it will be done at the individual level of access and […]
Viber, Instagram sites to be “cleansed” instead of blocked
After reports by the Iranian administration that the Viber and Instagram websites will not be blocked, despite a push by Iranian hardliners, a member of the Working Group to Determine Criminal Content in Cyber Space has been quoted as saying that the content of these social networking sites will be “cleansed.” ISNA reports that […]
Iran prepares to launch more selective internet censorship
The Ministry of Communications announced on Sunday November 9 that within six months it will implement “smart filtering” on the internet. Communications Minister Mahmoud Vaezi announced that the first step of this “smart filtering” will be implemented within a month. Smart filtering is supposed to be a more targeted form of censorship that blocks […]
Prosecutor says minister broke law by refusing to censor
Iran’s prosecutor general says the Ministry of Communication’s refusal to censor the messaging service WhatsApp in Iran is “against the law” and the minister must be held accountable. The Minister of Communications has dismissed a call by the Supervisory Committee for the Determination of Criminal Cyber Content to block WhatsApp, an internet instant-messaging subscription […]
Web committee discusses loosening online restrictions
Iran’s minister of communications says the committee for determining criminal content on the web has met to discuss the new administration’s policies in order to reach consensus on which sites will be subject to filtering. The Fars News Agency reports that the minister announced that the meeting was constructive, with the members agreeing that […]