Iran’s Future: Filtered, Traceable, and Anti-Sanctions

In the past month, Iranian authorities announced statutes and guidelines that will have a significant impact on the future of the internet in Iran. They include measures to drive users to platforms that emulate foreign products, track user activity on internet and intranet, establish tiered internet access, and generate income from the sale of VPNs.Continue reading “Iran’s Future: Filtered, Traceable, and Anti-Sanctions”

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 “

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’”

Policy Monitor – November 2020

In November, the Supreme Council for Cyberspace failed to meet for a second month, while the Majles finally voted for two MPs to fill the two parliamentary seats in the Committee for Determining Instances of Criminal Content also known as the country’s internet filtering committee.  Conditions for Iran’s gig workers also made headlines as driversContinue reading “Policy Monitor – November 2020”

Iran’s “Legal VPNs” and the Threat to Digital Rights

On 13 April this year, the Secretary to the Supreme Council for Cyberspace (SCC) Abolhassan Firouzabadi announced that a regulatory guidance for “Legal VPNs” has been finalised by the Committee for Determining Instances of Criminal Content (CDICC). He also added that the ICT Ministry will be in charge of deciding who will have access toContinue reading “Iran’s “Legal VPNs” and the Threat to Digital Rights”