By Nurat Uthman
Ardavan Yousefi has gotten so used to life under Iran’s sweeping internet restrictions that for him, a recent decision to lift a ban on messaging service WhatsApp went virtually unnoticed
“Oh wow, is it really removed now?” Yousefi, a cafe owner from the capital Tehran, said of the two-year ban on the popular application.
To be certain, he switched off his virtual private network (VPN) encryption service, which allows users to mask their locations and bypass firewalls, and sent a message.
But while WhatsApp and Google Play services have been restored in a decision late week by Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace, many other platforms remain banned.
“It doesn’t change much, since I still need VPNs for Instagram, Telegram and other platforms,” said 31-year-old Yousefi.
The cyber council’s decision came as Iranians grapple with high inflation, a plunging currency, years of international sanctions and more recently, soaring tensions with regional rival Israel.
In recent weeks, daily life has been disrupted by widespread closures of banks, government offices and schools due to energy shortages exacerbated by a cold wave. Air pollution has also worsened with the arrival of winter.
Amir Rashidi, director of digital rights and security at the US-based advocacy platform Miaan Group, said lifting the WhatsApp ban “was aimed at creating minimal public satisfaction” in face of these woes.
WhatsApp “is less popular in Iran” than other messaging apps like Instagram and Telegram, which remain blocked, said Rashidi.
Online app store Google Play “is not a platform for political dissent”, and so authorities have lifted the ban on it too as it “does not pose a significant threat to the Islamic republic’s stability”, he added
