Freedom of thought and expression

Last updated:

February 22, 2026

Freedom of thought and expression

Why Insist on Maintaining Filtering?/ Majid Shia’ali

One of the main promises of the Pezeshkian administration was to lift the filtering of social media platforms. In recent months, reformists have tried to achieve a symbolic success for the unsupported Pezeshkian administration by lifting the ban on some social networks amidst the current crises. However, despite all these efforts, the administration’s achievements have […]...

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Created By: Majid Shia’ali
January 20, 2025

The Digital Economy in the Cage of Filtering/ Ahmad Alavi

According to the fourth report by the Tehran E-Commerce Association, Iran ranks 98th among 100 countries in terms of internet quality. In this ranking, Iran is third from the bottom, following Cuba and Turkmenistan. Furthermore, Iran and China are at the top of the list for the highest number of filtered domains. Social media filtering […]...

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Created By: Ahmad Alavi
January 20, 2025

Examining the Impact of Filtering on Iranian Families: Challenges, Consequences, and Solutions/ Mehdi Anbari

The digital space has become an inseparable part of the lives of Iranian children, teenagers, and families. However, it appears that filtering policies in Iran over the past decades have created challenges for families rather than supporting them. The internet is now a core pillar of daily life, particularly for children and teenagers. It provides […]...

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Created By: Mehdi Anbari
January 20, 2025

The Internet in Iran Has No Meaning Without VPNs/ Soroush Ahmadi

The issue of filtering in Iran is as complex as it is straightforward. If we set aside the question of why filtering occurs in Iran and why we are the second-most restricted country for internet access after China, we can discuss the surrounding issues. The internet, the most modern method of communication in the world, […]...

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Created By: Soroush Ahmadi
January 20, 2025

The Right to Internet Access from the Perspective of International and Iranian Laws/ Abouzar Zaman

Human rights, along with the enactment of laws to recognize these rights, establish mechanisms to ensure their realization, and define their limitations, have always evolved in response to changing human needs, societal developments, and advancements in science and technology. Many emerging legal issues, while interpretable and inferable from previously recognized principles and laws, require new […]...

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Created By: Abouzar Zaman
January 20, 2025

Human Rights in the Grip of Internet Filtering/ Sina Yousefi

Filtering, as a tool for controlling and restricting access to information, has always been a controversial issue in the realm of cybersecurity and human rights violations. This policy, often justified by concepts such as national security, territorial integrity, public order, and the system’s interests, can, in practice, lead to serious violations of freedom of expression, […]...

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Created By: Sina Yousefi
January 20, 2025

Fundamental Freedoms of the Nation in the Hands of Quasi-Legislative Authorities/ Ehsan Haghi

One of the most fundamental and prominent indicators of civil societies is the reliance on “law” in the administration of affairs, relationships, and personal and social interactions—a principle often referred to as the rule of law. Accordingly, in the relationship between the government and citizens, as well as among citizens themselves, it is the law […]...

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Created By: Ehsan Haghi
January 20, 2025

Controversy and Clamor Against Stratified Internet Access/ Parvaneh Ahmadi

The idea of stratified internet access, introduced after the unblocking of WhatsApp, signaled stricter governmental control over the internet and was met with opposition from various groups. This idea was initially proposed before WhatsApp was unblocked by a representative advocating for governance of cyberspace. In December 2024 (Azar 1403), Hossein Ali Haji Deligani, Vice Chairman […]...

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Created By: Parvaneh Ahmadi
January 20, 2025

From the Ban on Showerheads to Internet Filtering / Fereshteh Goli

To understand the history of internet filtering in Iran, we need to go back to the early years following the victory of the February 1979 Revolution. As soon as the Islamic Republic was established, it declared many cultural topics—and generally anything that carried the scent of technology—either forbidden or subject to bizarre restrictions and censorship […]...

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Created By: Fereshteh Goli
January 20, 2025

Are Hashtags and Campaigns Tools for Change or Illusions of Participation?/ Mehrnaz Razaghi

Today, social media has become a key platform for activism, enabling everything from public support for political and social causes to the organization of protests. This digital space gained even more significance during the COVID-19 pandemic when people turned to digital media more than ever before. Now, every gathering or protest is not just a […]...

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Created By: Mehrnaz Razaghi
January 20, 2025

Can Civil Resistance Transform the Face of Governance in Iran?/ Majid Shia’ali

In recent years, our country has constantly been aflame. The widespread protests of December 2017, November 2019, the protests over the Ukrainian airplane tragedy, the Mahsa Movement, protests against the serial poisoning of schoolgirls, and the ongoing civil disobedience of Iranian women against mandatory hijab are just part of society’s resistance to the ruling regime. […]...

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Created By: Majid Shia’ali
December 21, 2024

Government Pressure on Journalists Regarding the Tabas Mine Tragedy/ Sina Yousefi

The tragic “Tabas Mine” incident, which involved an explosion or collapse in one of the coal mines in the region, claimed the lives of several workers and left many families mourning. This incident is one of those bitter events that once again highlights the fundamental problems in the field of workplace safety and the lack […]...

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Created By: Sina Yousefi
October 22, 2024