Iran lifts ban on WhatsApp and Google Play

Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace said on Tuesday it has lifted a ban on Meta’s WhatsApp instant messaging platform, as well as the Google Play store app.

WhatsApp and Google Play were banned by the Iranian government about two and a half years ago, along with a slew of other social media apps, as a way to tamp down on communications by anti-government protesters and organizers.

The Islamic Republic's IRNA news agency reported that the ban was removed Tuesday after an “unanimous vote by members of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace.”

The move is seen as an important first step towards improving internet access in a nation that has some of the strictest internet controls in the world.

The public has been demanding a stable internet in a country where “more than 70 percent of internet traffic is filtered,” said Reza Ghorbani, Tehran’s Chamber of Commerce Transformation, Innovation, and Productivity Deputy Chief, back in October.

Lifting those restrictions was one of the campaign promises made by Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, newly elected in July.

"Today, we took the first step towards lifting internet restrictions with unity and collaboration. I extend my gratitude to the President, media, and activists for their efforts. We need this solidarity more than ever. This path continues," Iran's Minister of Information and Communications Technology Sattar Hashemi posted on X on Wednesday.

امروز گام اول رفع محدودیت از اینترنت را با همدلی و وفاق برداشتیم. از پیگیری رییس‌جمهور و همراهی رسانه‌ها و فعالان ممنونم و بیش از پیش به این همراهی و همدلی نیازمندیم.
این مسیر ادامه دارد…

undefined Sattar Hashemi (@HashemiSattar) December 24, 2024

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Telegram are still restricted in the Islamic Republic, although the widespread use of VPNs has risen dramatically over the past few years to circumvent controls.

In September the United States called on Big Tech to help evade online censorship in countries that heavily censor the internet, including Iran, Reuters reported.

Ironically, in August, Meta reported that Iranian-government-backed hackers were found targeting the WhatsApp accounts of US political figures and diplomats, some who worked for both the Biden And Trump administrations.

The heads of the three branches of government, ministers, and other council members took part in Tuesday’s Supreme Council meeting, the IRNA said.