Download PDF of the report here<\/a>
\n\u201cThe Iranian government\u2019s huge investment in the National Internet is motivated by its growing realization that as Internet users proliferate in Iran, the State\u2019s grip on the social and cultural narrative inside the country is rapidly loosening,\u201d said Hadi Ghaemi, Executive Director of the Campaign.
\n\u201cThe rich diversity of Iranian life that has been revealed on social networks is deeply threatening to the rigid and sterile norms and values that the government and state media have imposed on the Iranian people for decades. The Internet terrifies Iran’s deep state,” he added.
\nInternet in Chains: The Front Line of State Repression in Iran provides groundbreaking analysis, covering the following topics:
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Presents a comprehensive analysis of the country\u2019s National Information Network (Iran\u2019s government-controlled domestic Intranet, also referred to as the National Internet) and all its components such as the national SSL certificates, operating system, browser, and related services.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Details how these tools will work together to give the authorities control over Internet access and the ability to access any content flowing across the National Information Network.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Reviews the state\u2019s filtering activities, including its focus over the last year on mobile applications.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Covers the intensifying prosecution of Internet professionals and activists through collaboration between the FATA cyber police, the Cyber Army, the Revolutionary Guards, and the Judiciary.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Analyzes the political tug of war over Internet freedom between the Rouhani administration and hardliners ensconced in the judicial, intelligence, and security arms of the state and backed by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
\nThe implementation of Iran\u2019s National Internet, in the absence of a legal framework to protect individual privacy, will mean that Internet users in Iran will be sharing their information with the country\u2019s security, intelligence, and judicial agencies.
\n\u201cIn cyberspace we are routinely warned by our browsers and applications to strengthen our passwords and secure our privacy. So the idea that Iranian authorities are securing an \u2018all access pass\u2019 to online information by essentially turning those browsers and applications into spyware is bold in its delivery, and ominous in its implications,\u201d said Ghaemi.
\nThe Internet has emerged as one of the central battlegrounds between authorities in Iran who wish to control access to information and expression in the country and the citizenry who desire free expression and engagement with the modern world.
\nIn light of the technological initiatives discussed and revealed by the report, the Campaign:
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Calls upon the Government of Iran to not allow the developing technological infrastructure in the country to be used to stamp out dissent. Iran\u2019s Internet policies should not be determined by its intelligence and security agencies.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Commends the Rouhani administration for finally allowing the provision of 3G and 4G mobile services in the country, significantly increasing Internet access speeds on mobile devices, and urges the Rouhani administration to follow up with additional measures critical to providing broadband Internet access throughout the country.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Calls on the technology community to assist Iranian civil society in the development of technological tools that will counter state repression and the monitoring of Iranians\u2019 online content.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Urges governments around the world to address the issue of Internet censorship and the persecution of Internet professionals and online activists directly with the Iranian government, and integrate concerns for Internet freedom fully into all bilateral relations, in accordance with the UN resolution in 2012 declaring that Internet access is a universal right and that freedom of speech therein must be fully guaranteed and protected.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Calls on private sector companies to pursue the legal sale of personal communications technology tools and services to Iranian citizens, but to pursue commercial relations with Iran in a manner that does not in any way facilitate the Iranian government\u2019s censorship of the Internet or its monitoring of online activities.
\nDownload PDF of report here
\nFollow the\u00a0Campaign on Facebook and Twitter
\nFor the latest human rights developments in Iran visit the Campaign\u2019s website
\nFor interviews, contact:
\nHadi Ghaemi at +1-917-669-5996, hadighaemi@iranhumanrights.org
\nGissou Nia at +1-646-350-9617, gissou.nia@iranhumanrights.org<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Authorities\u2019 Ability to Monitor Online Communications Will Increase November 19, 2014\u2014The Rouhani administration should use all its authority to end the government\u2019s initiatives to restrict Iranians\u2019 access to the Internet,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-human-rights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=663"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":664,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663\/revisions\/664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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Authorities\u2019 Ability to Monitor Online Communications Will Increase