The Digital Security Helpdesk team, after several months of investigation, has discovered that the Islamic Republic is using a network of Telegram channels to distribute content related to pedophilia, non-consensual pornography, and the promotion of sexual violence. These channels serve two main purposes: first, to lure individuals interested in such content, and second, to organizeContinue reading “Technology as a Tool for Repression: A Network of Telegram Channels Promoting Sexual Violence and Suppression of Dissent”
Tag Archives: Iran’s Cyber Police
Iran’s Cyber Policymakers Respond to Data Breaches with Inadequate Guidelines
Data Privacy Week, celebrated worldwide from January 22 – January 28, commemorates the signing of Convention 108, the first binding international agreement on data protection, on January 28, 1981. This year, Iran marked the occasion by publishing the Guidelines for the Protection of User Privacy on Cyberspace Systems and Platforms, a document that recognizes someContinue reading “Iran’s Cyber Policymakers Respond to Data Breaches with Inadequate Guidelines”
Posters That Swallowed the Posts: Is it Legal to Shut Down Instagram Accounts?
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?”
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”
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”
How the Iranian Parliament Plans to Spy on Citizens with the ‘Lifestyle Assessment System’
The Iranian government recently passed a major law that affects the digital rights of its citizens. The law, known as the Seventh Development Plan, includes a controversial component called the ‘Lifestyle Assessment System’, which allows the government to spy on people’s personal information. This report analyzes the Seventh Development Plan law, its specific clauses,Continue reading “How the Iranian Parliament Plans to Spy on Citizens with the ‘Lifestyle Assessment System’”
How Women Are Targeted by Virtual Repression in the Name of Modesty and Hijab
Recently, it was reported that the parliament is considering a bill on modesty and hijab, which would be implemented through Article 85 of the Constitution. This bill aims to regulate and penalize the behavior of women in cyberspace, including the promotion of voluntary – as opposed to mandatory – hijab. Since, like any modernContinue reading “How Women Are Targeted by Virtual Repression in the Name of Modesty and Hijab”
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”
Policy Monitory – February 2022
This February, while the world focused on the invasion of the Ukraine by Russian forces and the crisis that unfolded in its aftermath, in a stunning development in Iran, the dangerous internet restriction legislation, the so-called “User Protection” Bill – which stands to further curtail the rights of Iranians – was ratified by the JointContinue reading “Policy Monitory – February 2022”