Its impact was so significant that it replaced many functions of the Internet, including email, messaging, discussion forums, blogs, news websites, e-commerce, social networks, and even television. Since its launch in 2013, Telegram had become the top source of uncensored information in Iran. This filtering strategy immediately resulted in collateral damage to a much bigger audience than intended. In addition, it presents the challenges that arise from the implementation of these policies, both to users and circumvention tool providers, especially as increasingly aggressive network interference becomes the norm. The bulletin concludes by reviewing the overarching Internet policies in Iran behind the Telegram ban. This research bulletin analyzes the aftermath of the Telegram ban in Iran and presents detailed data on the performance of Psiphon, one of the most widely used circumvention tools among Iranians. However, users expressed serious concerns about the security of state-sanctioned applications, and considered them to be facilitating state surveillance. Much of the state’s effort centered on migrating Telegram users to domestically developed alternatives. Iranian users rushed to apply circumvention tools to stay connected to Telegram despite the concerted efforts of different political bodies to diminish attention to the app.
The ban went into effect despite the record breaking popularity of Telegram, which was used by an estimated 40 million Iranians. The filtering order instructed all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Iran and the Telecommunications Ministry to block access to content on the Telegram network. In late April 2018, Iran’s Judiciary announced a much anticipated ban on the popular messaging application, Telegram. The Iranian government responded in turn by attempting to block access to the circumvention tools, which led to pervasive network interference across the country.īy Simin Kargar and Keith McManamen Abstract In an attempt to stay connected to Iran’s most popular social messaging application, Telegram, after it was blocked in Iran in April 2018, Iranian Internet users adopted Psiphon and other circumvention tools in unprecedented numbers.
0 kommentar(er)
