Iran Removes Ban on WhatsApp and Google Play
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RDA Gulf Correspondent - . December 24, 2024
- . Update: December 25, 2024 2:15 pm
According to Iranian state media on Tuesday, Iranian authorities have removed a ban on Google Play and Meta’s instant messaging apps like WhatsApp, opening a new tab as a first step to loosen internet restrictions.
Although the Islamic Republic maintains some of the most stringent Internet access regulations in the world, tech-savvy Iranians frequently use virtual private networks to get around government bans on American social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
“A positive majority vote has been reached to lift limitations on access to some popular foreign platforms such as WhatsApp and Google Play”, Iran’s official IRNA news agency said on Tuesday referring to a meeting on the matter headed by President Masoud Pezeshkian.
“Today the first step in removing internet limitations has been taken,” IRNA cited Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology Sattar Hashemi as saying.
Iranian anti government demonstrations made extensive use of social media. The United States urged Big Tech in September to assist in circumventing online censorship in nations like Iran that heavily monitor the internet.
The United States urged Big Tech to assist in breaking online censorship in nations that severely restrict the internet such as Iran in September.
