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Internet in Chains

May 26, 2022

85 Lawyers Call on Iranian Government to Respect Right to Protest

In an unprecedented display of unity in defense of the Iranian people, 85 lawyers from Iran have signed an open letter calling on the Iranian government to respect the right to protest. “It is the people’s satisfaction towards the rulers ...

July 30, 2021

Total Control Over Internet Use in Iran Sought by Security Agencies with New Legislation

Parliament Maneuvers to Pass Bill Without Full Vote to Avoid Public Scrutiny  Move Comes on Heels of State’s Internet Shutdowns During Crackdown on Protesters July 30, 2021 – In a bid to sidestep public scrutiny of a contentious new ...

November 17, 2014

New Report Reveals State’s Growing Efforts to Control Internet Access in Iran

The Rouhani administration should use all its authority to end the government’s initiatives to restrict Iranians’ access to the Internet, immediately cease state efforts to monitor users’ online accounts, and end the prosecution of individuals for their peaceful online activities, the International Campaign for Human ...

November 11, 2014

National Email

Developing national email providers has also been a component of government efforts to control and access online content and activities. In 2012, Reza Taghipour, Minister of Telecommunication in the Ahmadinejad administration, wrote letters to his deputy and the Central Bank of Iran insisting on ...

November 11, 2014

The National Browser

The Iranian government has employed two means to ensure the widespread use of its national SSL security certificates (and thus achieve their root certification). One is through the Iranian web browser, Saina, which is provided by state agencies and into which the authorities have built ...

November 11, 2014

National SSL Certificates

National (government-issued) SSL security certificates are also a central component of Iran’s National Internet. SSL certificates ensure that the connection used in any Internet transmission is encrypted and thus secure. When they are issued by a legitimate source, they do indeed ensure security. The government ...

November 11, 2014

Conclusion

In 2013, Reporters Without Borders named Iran one of the world’s five worst enemies of the Internet, along with China, Syria, Bahrain and Vietnam. This report by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has shown that if the Iranian government is able ...

November 11, 2014

The National Operating System

The other means employed by the Iranian government to spread the use of its SSL security certificates is through the national operating system, “Zamin” (or Earth). Zamin was jointly developed by the Information Technology Organization and the Iran Telecom Research Center and released as ...

November 11, 2014

National Search Engine And National Social Networks

As part of the National Internet, the Iranian government has also developed services such as a national search engine and national social networks, which are designed and implemented largely by the Ministry of Telecommunication’s Information Technology Company. Hadi Malek, research director at the Information Technology ...

November 11, 2014

The Rouhani Administration and Internet Freedom

While Hassan Rouhani campaigned for the presidency in Iran on a platform explicitly promoting Internet freedom, one year into his presidency there has been little progress to date on this front. In fact, as this report has shown, development of Iran’s National Internet continues, the ...

November 11, 2014

Seeking International Technology Firms’ Compliance

In spite of all the authorities’ efforts to censor the Internet and punish those who seek to use it for social or political activism, the government has yet to achieve full control over the Internet and its use. Recognizing that Iran’s National Internet and all ...

November 11, 2014

Security Agencies and the Prosecution of Online Activists

In addition to the Iranian state’s efforts to develop the technological infrastructure of Internet control, the Judiciary and security organizations have also pursued the identification and prosecution of online activists. This is done through a variety of organizations, some of them official, some semi-official, and ...

November 11, 2014

National Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)

One of the principal ways that Iranians have been able to maintain access to the global Internet has been through the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), which allow users to circumvent government filters by providing encrypted links to networks based abroad, effectively enabling a ...

November 10, 2014

Executive Summary

Censorship and state control over the Internet in Iran is changing: it is becoming more systemic and less detectable, posing an ever-greater threat to Iranian users. Increasingly, the state is focusing on developing the technological infrastructure to effectively control access to the Internet inside Iran ...

November 10, 2014

Introduction

The Rouhani administration has pushed back some--a statement defending the need for open Internet access is made, a block on an application is removed--but it has largely refrained from taking the gloves off, focusing instead ...

November 10, 2014

National Data Centers

The National Data Centers are one of the most important infrastructure components of the National Information Network. These Centers will be set up in Tehran and other cities across the country, and will house the various telecommunications and storage systems used by the Network and ...

November 10, 2014

Internet in Chain

November 10, 2014

The National Internet And Domestic Politics in Iran

Officials in Iran have attributed the delays and uneven progress in the development and implementation of the country’s National Internet to technological problems, difficulties created by international sanctions against the country, and budgetary constraints. Yet these delays must also be seen within the context of ...

November 10, 2014

Security Agencies and the Prosecution of Online Activists

November 10, 2014

The National Information Network (National Internet)

HISTORY While the state devoted considerable resources and institutional capacity to filtering the Internet up to this time, a new dimension began during the Ahmadinejad period (2005-2013) regarding Iran’s approach to the Internet. Namely, the development of a national infrastructure that would give the authorities full ...

November 10, 2014

Internet Censorship and Filtering

The Internet first became available in Iran in 1993 with the start of dial-up services. Over the next few years, there were no clear guidelines for filtering sites and filtering remained relatively limited, with only intermittent instances of blocking of political or dissident sites, ...

Latest News

  • Iran: Families of Detained and Killed Protesters Beaten, Threatened to Stay Silent
    Iran: Families of Detained and Killed Protesters Beaten, Threatened to Stay Silent
    January 25, 2023
  • Suspicious Deaths of Released Protesters in Iran Should be Investigated by UN
    Suspicious Deaths of Released Protesters in Iran Should be Investigated by UN
    January 19, 2023
  • Governments Worldwide Should Recall Ambassadors from Iran
    Governments Worldwide Should Recall Ambassadors from Iran
    January 12, 2023
  • Iran Protests: At Least 44 Defense Attorneys Arrested Since September
    Iran Protests: At Least 44 Defense Attorneys Arrested Since September
    January 10, 2023
  • Two More Men Executed in Iran in Connection with Protests, Others at Imminent Risk
    Two More Men Executed in Iran in Connection with Protests, Others at Imminent Risk
    January 7, 2023
  • Third Anniversary of Shooting Down of Ukrainian Passenger Plane, Still No Justice
    Third Anniversary of Shooting Down of Ukrainian Passenger Plane, Still No Justice
    January 6, 2023
  • What Can I Do to Support the Protesters and Human Rights in Iran?
    What Can I Do to Support the Protesters and Human Rights in Iran?
    January 5, 2023
  • Iranian Athletes Killed, Tortured, Sentenced to Death for Supporting Protests (Updated)
    Iranian Athletes Killed, Tortured, Sentenced to Death for Supporting Protests (Updated)
    January 4, 2023
  • Recommendations: Congress Can Play a Vital Role in Supporting the Protesters in Iran
    Recommendations: Congress Can Play a Vital Role in Supporting the Protesters in Iran
    December 21, 2022
  • Recommendations for the U.S. Congress on Iran
    Recommendations for the U.S. Congress on Iran
    December 21, 2022
  • Iran: Death Sentences and Imprisonment Used to Crush Dissent in Film and Theatre Industries
    Iran: Death Sentences and Imprisonment Used to Crush Dissent in Film and Theatre Industries
    December 20, 2022
  • Iran’s Courts Using Death Penalty Charges to Crush Protests
    Iran’s Courts Using Death Penalty Charges to Crush Protests
    December 15, 2022
  • Islamic Republic of Iran Expelled from UN Commission on the Status of Women
    Islamic Republic of Iran Expelled from UN Commission on the Status of Women
    December 14, 2022
  • Iran Protests: Children Killed and Tortured to Crush Dissent
    Iran Protests: Children Killed and Tortured to Crush Dissent
    December 13, 2022
  • Lynching in Iran: Majidreza Rahnavard, 23, Publicly Hanged in State-Sponsored Murder
    Lynching in Iran: Majidreza Rahnavard, 23, Publicly Hanged in State-Sponsored Murder
    December 12, 2022
  • Executions in Iran: World Must Respond with Strong Action Against State Killings of Protesters
    Executions in Iran: World Must Respond with Strong Action Against State Killings of Protesters
    December 8, 2022
  • Iran Protests: Detained University Students Subjected to Sexual Assault, Disappearances
    Iran Protests: Detained University Students Subjected to Sexual Assault, Disappearances
    December 6, 2022
  • Women’s Uprising in Iran
    Women's Uprising in Iran
    December 5, 2022
  • Iran Protests: Juveniles Could Face Death Penalty in Kangaroo “Revolutionary” Court
    Iran Protests: Juveniles Could Face Death Penalty in Kangaroo “Revolutionary” Court
    November 30, 2022
  • Iran: Key Labor Sectors Launch Major Strikes Amid Anti-State Protests
    Iran: Key Labor Sectors Launch Major Strikes Amid Anti-State Protests
    November 29, 2022
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