January 10, 2018\u2014The recent unrest in Iran\u2014during which the authorities disrupted Iranians\u2019 access to the internet and blocked major social media networks used by the protesters\u2014demonstrates that the Iranian government\u2019s decade-long effort to control the internet in Iran is being realized.<\/p>\n
In a major new report released today,\u00a0Guards at the Gate: The Expanding State Control Over the Internet in Iran<\/em><\/strong>, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) details the advances the Iranian government has made in controlling cyberspace in Iran, and the resulting losses to internet freedom and privacy.<\/p>\n Download\u00a0Guards at the Gate<\/em>,\u00a0<\/strong>here.<\/a><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n The 76-page report provides a comprehensive review of Iran\u2019s internet policies and initiatives, in particular, the development and new capabilities of Iran\u2019s state-controlled National Internet Network (NIN), which gives the government newly expanded abilities to control Iranians\u2019 access to the internet and monitor online communications.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Iranian government has now shown the world that it can\u2014and will\u2014cut its citizens off from the global internet, in total disregard for the rights of the Iranian people,\u201d said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of CHRI.<\/p>\n Key findings of\u00a0Guards at the Gate:<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u200b\u201cIran is grouping itself among the autocracies of the world by violating its people\u2019s rights to internet freedom and privacy,\u201d said Ghaemi. \u201cGovernments worldwide should express their deep concern over these violations directly to their Iranian counterparts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n