#CALL VIBER IRAN FREE#

But when the current period of unrest began on December 28, 2017, the authorities further tightened their grip over social media. Messaging apps, social media, and international news sitesĮver since the 2009 protests, Iran has blocked a number of messaging apps and social media sites, including Twitter and Viber. History shows that users rarely come back, even after a disruption has ended, and this disruption of access to DigitalOcean from Iran is likely to deepen the economic impact resulting from the shutdown. The impact to these tech startups in Iran may prove catastrophic to their fledgling businesses, as users are typically impatient and any disruption could see them abandon the services provided by Iranian startups for competing platforms elsewhere. Iran is disrupting connections to DigitalOcean, which provides primary and backup servers for hosting a number of circumvention tools such as Lantern, as well as hosting sites and services for a variety of tech startups in Iran.

Reports suggest that authorities have primarily targeted cellular networks for interference, which has a profoundly negative impact on people in Iran regardless of whether they are participating in protests. The people of Iran have experienced many different forms of shutdowns and interference with their communications, including nationwide blocks of Instagram and Telegram, throttling of some connections and protocols, and shutdowns of the cellular network in some cities.

Below is a look at the recent censorship events in Iran, the circumvention tools that can be used, and the actions people around the world can take to help those in Iran exercise their fundamental rights and freedoms online. There are a number of tools available to help people in Iran circumvent shutdowns, as well as to document the interference with communications - a crucial task in laying the foundation for global advocacy to stop the interference. That’s true not just in Iran, but anywhere that these blunt and inherently disproportionate disruptions take place. They interfere with daily life, separate loved ones, block emergency services, and damage the economy. Not only do internet shutdowns violate human rights, they also have a wide range of other consequences. These actions are extremely harmful and counter-productive. Ever since this new wave of protests erupted, Iranian authorities have disrupted internet and cellular networks, reportedly in an attempt to control the flow of information going in and out of the country, as well as to stop people from organizing and gathering for protests.

#CALL VIBER IRAN FREE#

Now, almost 10 years later, as Iranians take to the streets in different parts of the country, they are once again facing multiple challenges to exercising their right to free expression online. Access Now was founded in 2009 immediately after the contested Iranian presidential election sparked widespread protests, and so recent developments in Iran are of particular importance to the organization.

Call viber iran