Authorities in Iran have lifted the ban on WhatsApp and Google Play as a first step towards easing restrictions on the internet, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday (24).
The Islamic Republic has some of the strictest internet access controls in the world, but its blocks of US-based social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are routinely ignored by tech-savvy Iranians who use private networks.
“A positive majority of votes was reached to lift access limitations to some popular foreign platforms such as WhatsApp and Google Play,” Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported, referring to a meeting on the issue led by the president Masoud Pezeshkian.
“Today, the first step towards removing internet limitations… has been taken,” highlighted IRNA citing Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Sattar Hashemi.
Social media platforms have been widely used in anti-government protests in Iran.
In September, the United States asked Big Techs for help to circumvent online censorship in countries that intensely monitor the internet, including Iran.
