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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Gendered Impacts of Internet Filtering/ Elahe Amani

The phenomenon of internet filtering in Iran is far from new, with a history spanning nearly two decades. Internet restrictions are implemented in various countries for reasons ranging from internal security to external pressures. Governments worldwide apply varying degrees of censorship to filter the internet. Some nations, like China, North Korea, and Iran, enforce the […]...

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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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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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Placing thieves on social networks/ Ali Kalai

At one point, messages would come on social networks about someone from a distant country contacting you and saying that one of your relatives with a similar last name has passed away and left a huge fortune behind. Now, this person from the bank wants to transfer this money to you as the heir. However, […]...

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The Great Battle of Our Time over Personal Boundaries; In Conversation with Ehsan Shahghasemi/ Matin Mostafaei

The discussion of “citizenship rights” has had many ups and downs throughout history, starting with political rights in ancient Greece and later evolving into cultural, social, and civil rights. Recently, with the expansion of digital technologies and virtual space, the topic of citizenship rights in the digital and virtual realm has gained attention. For years, […]...

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Human Rights in the Era of Digital Authoritarianism/ Amin Qazaei

Does emerging technology strengthen individual freedoms or make authoritarian governments more capable of controlling and monitoring citizens? In response to this issue, there has always been a simple analytical framework: on one hand, information technology, with the emergence of the internet and later social networks, facilitates and accelerates the free flow of information and increases […]...

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The Struggle for Anonymity in Iran / Abdullah Bai Lashki

With the advancement of technology and increase in global communication, the sanctity of privacy and the shield of anonymity are facing unprecedented challenges. This struggle is nowhere more evident than in countries where government surveillance casts a shadow over everything. Iran, with the use of a powerful surveillance apparatus, appears as a focal point for […]...

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Censorship and Censor; A Journey Traveled / Seyed Mohammad Sahafi

1- In 43, I was six years old when they took me to Savak Qom to visit my father who was in temporary detention at the branch of this organization on Station Street in Qom. They had taken him there to punish and intimidate him because he had been selling and distributing the banned book […]...

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Internet Execution Season/ Barbod Mirage

The chain of deliberate and unintentional events in the government of Ebrahim Raisi has led to the satisfaction of the internet in Iran reaching its lowest level. The 34% increase in internet prices was the final link in this chain that brought us to this point. But why have governing institutions, especially the government, raised […]...

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Why can’t they hear our voice? / Majid Shia Ali

In recent years, what has separated our society from serious governance and has led to widespread despair from any political action, is the lack of response from the government to the demands of the majority of our society. During these years, these demands have been expressed in various ways, such as through participation in election […]...

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Home entertainment series, a way to forget / Ali Hosseini

1. In the movie Once Upon a Time in America, David Aaronson (Robert De Niro) returns to his old neighborhood after years and gives a short and thought-provoking answer to the question “What have you been doing all these years?” He says, “I used to go to bed early at night!” Nighttime sleep is a […]...

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