Iran is consistently ranked “not free” in Freedom House’s annual Freedom on the Net research reports. The country received a dismal score of 12 (on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the most free) in the 2024 report, amid wide-reaching censorship and surveillance. In a bid to restrict access to the global,Continue reading “Open Technology Fund’s Security Lab Finds Three Widely Used Iranian Messaging Apps Are Not Safe”
Author Archives: Filterwatch
Iran’s Nazer App Aims to Expand State Surveillance and Control
Over the past year, Iran has been rapidly advancing towards becoming a hyper-surveillance state. The government has implemented various policies and systems designed for extensive monitoring and control of its citizens. This includes attempts to develop facial recognition systems, e-governance services, localized internet infrastructure, and integrate user data across different sectors. These efforts have beenContinue reading “Iran’s Nazer App Aims to Expand State Surveillance and Control”
National Network and Silence on Censorship: A Profile of the New Telecommunications Minister
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”
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”