Iran

Internet Slowed to Ward Off Cyber Attacks: An Iranian Cyber Police spokesperson stated that the internet in Iran had been slowed down 'to ward off cyber attacks' following a cryptocurrency exchange theft.

Internet Restrictions Amidst Conflict, Starlink Activation: Immediately following Israeli strikes, the regime restricted ground-based internet access, prompting SpaceX to activate Starlink Satellite internet for Iranians.

Cyber Freedom Areas Introduced: Iranian authorities introduced 'Cyber Freedom Areas' for class-based authorized people to access the internet without government censorship.

Google Play Store and WhatsApp Unbanned: Iran unbanned the Google Play Store and WhatsApp after two and a half years of restrictions.

Discussions on Removing Internet Restrictions: The Iranian regime was reportedly discussing removing internet restrictions, possibly with reduced speed and higher tariff costs.

IPv6 Blocking Begins: Cloudflare data showed that the Iranian regime had begun blocking IPv6.

Cyber Police Crackdown on 'Moral and Social Crimes': Iran's cyberpolice launched a plan to combat 'moral and social crimes' in cyberspace, targeting 'obscene live streaming, vulgar content production, and modeling'.

Supreme Leader Orders VPN Ban: Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ordered the Supreme Council of Cyberspace to ban internet censorship circumvention technology such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).

Unfiltered Internet for Foreign Tourists Approved: The plan to allow foreign tourists unfiltered internet access via 'tourist' SIM cards was subsequently approved by the Iranian government.

Easing of Restrictions for Businesses and Universities: Some filtered websites became accessible to specific groups such as students, university professors, and professionals for government-approved purposes.

Stricter Content Controls for Streaming Services: Iran introduced stricter content-control policies for privately owned streaming services, giving the state broadcaster (IRIB) full control over content.

Demand for Unfiltered Internet for Tourists: The Minister of Tourism and Cultural Heritage demanded that foreign tourists be allowed unfiltered internet access via 'tourist' SIM cards.

Cyber Police Purge Social Media and Websites: The Iranian cyber police began purging social media and websites as part of ongoing censorship efforts.

Cloudflare Blocking Begins: Iranians began experiencing blocking of Cloudflare, cutting off a massive 70% of Iranian traffic from the Internet.

Ministry of ICT Creates 403.online: The Minister of ICT created 403.online, a DNS and VPN for Iranians bypassing the HTTP 403 code, indicating government-sanctioned circumvention tools.

Ministry of ICT Launches RadarGame and DNS for Games: The Ministry of ICT opened the radar.game software and a DNS for games, indicating efforts to control and provide specific online services.

Goshayesh Program (Tiered Internet) Unveiled: The government unveiled plans to implement the 'Goshayesh' program, initially targeting Sharif University students, to allocate internet access levels based on social class.

Mandatory 'Safe Search' Implemented: The state-owned Telecommunication Infrastructure Company (TIC) began pointing all internet users in Iran to 'Safe Search' when trying to access Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo.

Resolution on Protection of Children and Teenagers on the Internet: A resolution was passed by the SCC focusing on children's internet access, in line with previous censorship policies and the NIN Macro Plan.

Second Highest Internet Censorship Ranking: A 2022 poll ranked Iran as the country with the second highest level of Internet censorship after repeated disruptions and social media blocks during Mahsa Amini protests.

NIN Macro Plan and Architecture Resolution Passed: The SCC passed the 'National Information Network Macro[-Level] Plan and Architecture' resolution, aimed at strengthening and developing online content and user services, including an 'exclusive network' for children.

China as Censorship Model: Abolhassan Firoozabadi, director of the National Cyberspace Center, described China as a successful 'model' for internet censorship.

Total Internet Shutdown During Protests: During nationwide fuel protests, Iranian authorities implemented a near-total internet blackout, reducing traffic to just 5% of normal levels.

National Information Network (NIN) Unveiled: The National Information Network (NIN) was unveiled, working similarly to China's Great Firewall but with stricter monitoring.

Crackdown on Instagram Celebrities: Authorities cracked down on high-profile Iranian 'Instagram celebrities' for 'sinful acts', coinciding with increased demands to block Instagram.

Internet Blocked During Protests: During the 2017–18 Iranian protests, the government blocked internet access from mobile networks and various websites, including Instagram and Telegram.

Focus on Pornography Laws in Iran: An article highlighted Iran's strict pornography laws, the global impact of its censorship techniques, and the death penalty for creators.

Porn Blocks Cause Global Internet Disruption: Iran's aggressive pornography blocks, using BGP hacking, inadvertently broke the internet for users in other countries like Russia and Hong Kong.

SCC Resolution on NIN Requirements: The Supreme Council for Cyberspace (SCC) ratified a resolution on the 'Requirements for the National Information Network', aimed at integrating views and guaranteeing network design coordination.

Mass Website and Account Ban: Iranian Prosecutor Ahmad Ali Montazeri, head of Iran's internet censorship committee, banned and closed 14,000 websites and social networking accounts.

Mobile Internet Regulation to Protect Children and Teenagers: Regulation came into force to create restrictions for children online and set up a special, limited network for under-18 internet users, including plans for special SIM cards.

Plan for Children's SIM Cards Ratified: The government ratified a plan to design a SIM card for children, marking the beginning of efforts to restrict children's internet access.

Fatwa Against Faster Internet: Grand Ayatollah Makkarem Shirazi issued a fatwa against using faster internet, citing concerns about access to content contrary to Islamic morals.

Google Blocked and Domestic Alternative Proposed: Iran announced that Google and Gmail would be added to the list of banned sites, to be replaced by the national network. They were later unblocked in October 2012.

National Intranet Implementation Begins: Iran began implementing a national intranet, partially in response to cyberattacks like Stuxnet.

Internet Café Data Retention Requirements: Internet café owners were required to record customer identities and browsing data for at least six months.

Plans for 'Halal Internet' Announced: A senior official announced government plans to launch a 'halal internet' conforming to Islamic values, a project initially proposed in 2006.

Stuxnet Virus Hastens NIN Development: The discovery of the Stuxnet Virus hastened the development of the National Information Network (NIN).

Iran Again Labeled 'Enemy of the Internet': Reporters Without Borders again labeled Iran one of the 'Enemies of the Internet'.

Computer Crimes Law (CCL) Passed: The Computer Crimes Law (CCL) was passed, establishing legal regulations for internet censorship, including criminalizing 'obscene content' and requiring ISPs to maintain user data records.

Nokia DPI Software Report: The Wall Street Journal reported that Nokia may have sold Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) software to Iran for monitoring internet communications.

Five Million Websites Blocked: Iran had blocked access to more than five million websites, whose content was deemed immoral and anti-social.

Proposed Death Penalty for Pornography Creators: A law was passed by parliament to allow the death penalty for the creators of pornographic films, pending approval from the Guardian Council.

ISP Speed Limits Imposed: The government ordered all ISPs to limit download speeds to 128 kbit/s for residential clients and internet cafes, widely believed to constrain consumption of Western media.

Increased Internet Censorship in Early 2000s: As international internet usage grew, censorship increased, and many popular websites were blocked, especially after 2005 under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Early Internet Censorship Attempts: Conservative groups within the Islamic government identified the open internet as a threat, leading to initial attempts at censorship and restriction.

First Email Message Sent: Iran sent its first email message, marking its embrace of the Digital Age.

Establishment of Theocratic Government and Information Control: Following the establishment of a theocratic government, religious authorities began consolidating political power and dominating the information sphere through propaganda and censorship.