Iran’s top cybersecurity council voted on Tuesday to lift the two-year ban on the popular messaging app WhatsApp, state media reported. The Supreme Council of Cyberspace, which oversees internet regulations, unanimously approved the decision to remove the ban on WhatsApp and Google Play.
“The ban on WhatsApp and Google Play was lifted by the unanimous vote of the members of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace,” the official IRNA news agency stated.
The council is led by the president, with its members including the parliament speaker, the head of the judiciary, and several ministers.
“Today, we took the first step towards lifting internet restrictions with unanimity and consensus,” Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi said on X, formerly Twitter. However, the timing of the decision’s implementation remains unclear.
The move has sparked a debate within Iran. Critics argue that the country’s internet restrictions have been costly and ineffective. “The restrictions have achieved nothing but anger and added costs to people’s lives,” said presidential adviser Ali Rabiei on X.
Vice President Mohammad Javad Zarif also echoed this sentiment, stating, “President Masoud Pezeshkian believes in removing restrictions and does not consider the bans to be in the interest of the people and the country. All experts also believe that this issue is not beneficial to the country’s security.”
On the other hand, some lawmakers have expressed concerns over the decision. According to the reformist Shargh daily, 136 members of the 290-seat parliament signed a letter to the council, warning that lifting the ban would be a “gift to Iran’s enemies.” They called for the unblocking of online platforms only if they align with the values of Islamic society and Iranian laws.
Iran has long called for foreign tech companies, including Meta (which owns WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook), to set up offices in the country. However, Meta has refused, citing U.S. sanctions on Iran.
While VPNs are commonly used in Iran to bypass internet restrictions, other platforms such as Facebook, X, and YouTube remain blocked, as they have been since 2009. Telegram, another popular messaging app, was banned in 2018, and WhatsApp and Instagram were added to the list after the nationwide protests following the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died in police custody.
Pezeshkian, who assumed office in July, has promised to ease Iran’s long-standing internet restrictions, while the government has introduced local alternatives to replace popular foreign apps, including Neshan and Balad for navigation, Snapp! and Tapsi for ride-hailing, and Bale, Ita, Rubika, and Soroush for messaging and calling.
AFP
