Seizing Instagram accounts of individuals and businesses and deleting their content by taking control of the accounts is an illegal act that lacks the necessary legal basis under Iranian laws. This not only violates the principle of legality of crimes and punishments and the principles of fair trial in criminal proceedings but also infringes uponContinue reading “Posters That Swallowed the Posts: Is it Legal to Shut Down Instagram Accounts?”
Tag Archives: freedom of expression
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”
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”
Domestic Messaging Apps: Leading in Surveillance, Lagging in Service
Executive Summary Research and polling by Filterban show that in the past year, more than 67 percent of internet users in Iran have been forced to download and use domestic messaging apps at least once. This poll, conducted from mid-to-late June 2023, reveals how the government employs various direct and indirect tactics to push citizensContinue reading “Domestic Messaging Apps: Leading in Surveillance, Lagging in Service”
Increasing Control of Cyberspace to Repress Social Change
The present report provides an overview of the activities of Iran’s cyber police and the cyberspace performance of security forces in the three-month period starting from the 1st of July to the end of September.2023, with a particular focus on widespread arrests of individuals active in cyberspace throughout Iran. These arrests were carried out particularlyContinue reading “Increasing Control of Cyberspace to Repress Social Change”
FATAwatch: January – March 2022
What is FATA Watch? In the past decade the security establishment and the judiciary in Iran have been one of the primary instruments of suppression and censorship on the internet. The FATA cyber police force has been in the news for putting pressure on civil rights activists, journalists and well-known figures, but most of itsContinue reading “FATAwatch: January – March 2022”
Internet Shutdown Trends in Iran: November 2019 to July 2021
The everyday experience of the internet in Iran is restricted through platform and content filtering, throttling, surveillance, and the monitoring of online behaviors. While these are common and long-running forms of information control and censorship, an increase in the use of Internet shutdowns by state authorities is rapidly becoming a major source of anxiety forContinue reading “Internet Shutdown Trends in Iran: November 2019 to July 2021”
FATAwatch: January – March 2020
During the COVID-19 crisis, the Iranian judiciary and Cyber Police (FATA) have played a central role in not only implementing a crackdown on freedom of expression and privacy online, but also in defining and shaping it. The first three months of 2020 demonstrated that the Iranian judiciary and Cyber Police are pursuing an active policyContinue reading “FATAwatch: January – March 2020”