Between February 8, 2024, and the end of the month, there have been widespread and deliberate disruptions on protocols used in censorship circumvention tools and VPNs. Our research, which includes insights from developers of widely-used VPNs in Iran and data from the network monitoring community, indicates extensive and targeted disruptions on protocols such as Shadowsocks,Continue reading “Targeted VPN Protocol Disruption Following New Legislation: “
Tag Archives: Filterwatch
The use of VPNs is prohibited, but not criminalized
On February 19, 2024, the Supreme Council of Cyberspace published the resolution “Exploring Solutions to Increase the Share of Domestic Traffic and Counteract Anti-Censorship Tools.”(alternative link) One of the most controversial parts of this resolution was clause 6, which prohibited the use of VPNs. However, given the legal drafting rules and the principle of legalityContinue reading “The use of VPNs is prohibited, but not criminalized”
End of the Definite Internet Shutdown Pattern in Sistan and Baluchestan; Continuation of Unexplained Disruptions
Seven months after the order by Ibrahim Raisi, the President of Iran, to the Ministry of Communications to investigate the cause of internet slowness and disruptions and to resolve them, no response has been given to this directive. Instead, he reiterated this order during the opening session of a communications project on December 22, 2023,Continue reading “End of the Definite Internet Shutdown Pattern in Sistan and Baluchestan; Continuation of Unexplained Disruptions”
Iran’s Surveillance State: A Year of Expansion
Analytical Summary The Iranian government embarked on a new path in 2023, enacting laws and policies that aimed to restrict the hardware and software choices of its citizens in the long run. The authorities seek to monitor citizens’ through tracking software, heighten control over hardware imports, coerce them to adopting and using their favored applications,Continue reading “Iran’s Surveillance State: A Year of Expansion “
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”
Veiling The Virtual: Interaction of Hijab Bill and Iranian Cyber Sovereignty Policy
For the past eight months, the ultra-conservative Iranian government and parliament have collaborated intensively to craft the “hijab and chastity” bill. In an effort to expedite the process and maintain confidentiality, The parliament decided to hand over its authority for passing the bill to one of its commissions (legal and judicial) rather than addressing itContinue reading “Veiling The Virtual: Interaction of Hijab Bill and Iranian Cyber Sovereignty Policy”
Iran’s “People’s Lifestyle Assessment System”: A New Surveillance Threat
The Iranian government’s “Seventh Development Plan” bill, which was passed in the past month, is one of the most significant and influential laws affecting Iran’s digital realm. It contains a key section called the “Lifestyle Assessment System”, a far-reaching initiative that aims to monitor and control the activities and behaviors of Iranian users. This systemContinue reading “Iran’s “People’s Lifestyle Assessment System”: A New Surveillance Threat”
Iran’s Internet Crisis in November: A Month of Disruptions
In the month of November, Iran’s internet infrastructure faced significant challenges. The country experienced three major national-level outages, along with two additional disruptions affecting mobile and internet operators. In all three outages, the Telecommunication Infrastructure Company attributed the fault to disruptions in transmission lines and international internet routes. The severe network routing disruption, or ActiveContinue reading “Iran’s Internet Crisis in November: A Month of Disruptions”
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”