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”

Facial Authentication and Recognition: From Reality to Political Propaganda

Executive Summary The discussion on the use of facial recognition technology became prominent when Mohammad Saleh Hashemi Golpayegani, the former secretary of the Command of Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong, stated in a September 2022 interview with the news site Khabar Fori: ‘Technology now allows images to be matched with national ID photos, and thoseContinue reading “Facial Authentication and Recognition: From Reality to Political Propaganda”

Policy Monitor – December 2021

The publication of our December 2021 Policy Monitor coincides with the second anniversary of the tragic shooting down of the Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 — which resulted in the deaths of all 176 passengers and crew on board — by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The victims of the tragedy are remembered onlineContinue reading “Policy Monitor – December 2021”

The Role of Domestic Messaging Apps in Iran’s Information Controls 

Just under three years have passed since Filterwatch wrote about the significance and dangers of Iran’s domestic messaging apps. We are seeing increasing instances of major privacy violations by these apps, as they seek to expand their user base. Although some might argue that these apps still fail to mount a serious challenge to internationalContinue reading “The Role of Domestic Messaging Apps in Iran’s Information Controls “

Jahromi’s Day in Court Wasn’t About Internet Freedom

On 20 January a number of Iranian news outlets reported that Iran’s ICT Minister, Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi had been summoned to the Culture and Media Court by the Attorney General for questioning, in relation to a number of claims made against him. Early reports stated that the claims were related to non-compliance with a filteringContinue reading “Jahromi’s Day in Court Wasn’t About Internet Freedom”

Policy Monitor – December 2020

The publication of our December Policy Monitor coincides with the first anniversary of the tragic downing of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which resulted in the deaths of all 176 passengers on board. The anniversary of the tragedy has been commemorated online under the hashtags #PS752 and #IWillLightACandleToo, inContinue reading “Policy Monitor – December 2020”

Data Insecurity On Iran’s Localised Internet

With our ever increasing dependency on online and digital services, there has been a global rise in the number of data leaks, leaving users and businesses more vulnerable to cyber attacks.  This problem is no different in Iran, which has experienced a series of major data leaks in recent years. A particularly significant data leak Continue reading “Data Insecurity On Iran’s Localised Internet”

Iran’s Self-Isolated Internet Is Ill-Equipped To Confront COVID-19

Iran has been on the frontlines of the struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic for several months now. With its first documented cases arriving in the city of Qom on February 19, the virus spread rapidly, claiming at least 6,028 lives according to official figures as of May 1. In response to the crisis, the IranianContinue reading “Iran’s Self-Isolated Internet Is Ill-Equipped To Confront COVID-19”