After repeatedly promising to alleviate or improve internet censorship in Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian introduced his nominee for the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology: Seyed Sattar Hashemi. Hashemi, closely associated with former minister Azari Jahromi, is known for being cautious, conservative, and more of a “follower” than a “pioneer” or “pragmatic” leader. These traits mayContinue reading “National Network and Silence on Censorship: A Profile of the New Telecommunications Minister”
Author Archives: Filterwatch
Power Crisis Contributes to Widespread Internet Disruptions
As we slowly move past the aftermath of the fourteenth presidential election,despite the absence of significant progress in policy-making, there have been numerous changes in the area of network and internet access. Key Findings: Policy-Making: Policy-making institutions, like the Parliament, are acting contrary to the recommendations provided by their own research center. Civil society’s effortsContinue reading “Power Crisis Contributes to Widespread Internet Disruptions”
The Internet In The Women, Life, Freedom Era
The “Women, Life, Freedom” protest movement in Iran, catalyzed by the tragic death of Mahsa Jina Amini, a young Kurdish-Iranian woman, in the custody of Iran’s morality police on September 16, 2022, marked a significant shift in the country’s socio-political landscape. Anti-government social mobilization reached historic levels, with months of sizable protests taking place inContinue reading “The Internet In The Women, Life, Freedom Era”
A Cyber Power That Wasn’t
Iran as a Surveillance State Over the past two decades, Iran has expanded its cyber capabilities for domestic control, regional influence, and retaliation against adversaries. Leaked data from seemingly hacktivist groups have repeatedly indicated the expansive scope of Iran’s interest and capability to surveil citizens and dissidents. The SIAM network, use of facial recognition, e-governmentContinue reading “A Cyber Power That Wasn’t”
Nazer App: How Iran is Using Technology to Suppress Women’s Rights
Authors: Azin Mohajerin, Amir Rashidi Iranian women’s privacy and freedom have been increasingly violated through the government’s use of technology, especially after the Women, Life, Freedom movement. The government has a long history of using technology to spy on Iranian citizens, such as SIAM, facial recognition, e-government services, surveillance tools developed by the prosecutor’s office,Continue reading “Nazer App: How Iran is Using Technology to Suppress Women’s Rights”
Navigating Tech and Human Rights in Iran: A Human Rights Impact Assessment Guide to Engage, Assess, Act
FilterWatch and Taraaz are proud to release a new resource, “Navigating Tech and Human Rights in Iran: A Human Rights Impact Assessment Guide to Engage, Assess, Act.” This comprehensive guide is created to help technology companies make decisions that respect human rights and internet freedom in Iran. Why We Created This Guide As internet censorshipContinue reading “Navigating Tech and Human Rights in Iran: A Human Rights Impact Assessment Guide to Engage, Assess, Act”
The Rising Wave Of Impersonation
Miaan Group has documented multiple attacks on civil society groups inside and outside of Iran, which constitute the largest and most coordinated impersonation and phishing campaign since the outbreak of the Mahsa Jina Amini movement last year. This report is the result of research and documentation of over 100 attacks that targeted journalists, civil societyContinue reading “The Rising Wave Of Impersonation”
Internet Oppressors: A Look at the Office of Iran’s Attorney General and its Contractors
This report investigates Internet control and surveillance in Iran, drawing on analysis of over 80,000 leaked emails pertaining to the Working Group for Determining Instances of Criminal Content (WGDICC) from 2014 to 2022. The WGDICC is a judicial body that operates under Iran’s Attorney General’s Office and filters and censors the Internet in Iran. TheContinue reading “Internet Oppressors: A Look at the Office of Iran’s Attorney General and its Contractors”
HackerWatch: January – June 2023
The spree of hack-and-leak attacks continued in the first half of 2023. The Iranian government has become a prime target of hacktivist activists. Various hacking personas have defaced official websites, infiltrated domestic networks, and spilled top secret documents into the public domain. While the identity and affiliation of many of these groups remain unclear, theyContinue reading “HackerWatch: January – June 2023”
Moving Towards Digital Authoritarianism
Summary Of Analysis Filterwatch’s findings reveal that the Islamic Republic of Iran is intensifying its hold on internet control and restrictions, adopting faster and more clandestine approaches. This pattern persists, continuing for eight months after the initial outbreak of protests following the death of Mahsa Jina Amini. As a result, conventional censorship methods, filtering, andContinue reading “Moving Towards Digital Authoritarianism”