Telegram in Iran Continues to Thrive Amid Restrictions

Despite being blocked in the country, Telegram remains a popular messaging app in Iran. The app's user base in Iran has grown significantly since its launch in 2013.

Iran's government has been trying to restrict Telegram's use, but the app's popularity endures. According to the article, Telegram was used by over 40 million Iranians in 2018, making it the most popular messaging app in the country.

The app's widespread use is partly due to its strong encryption, which makes it difficult for the government to intercept messages. This feature is particularly appealing to Iranians who value their online privacy.

Iran's government has been trying to block Telegram, a popular messaging app, due to national security concerns.

The ban was first announced in May 2018, after protests in December 2017, when authorities temporarily blocked Telegram and Instagram, citing security concerns.

Iran's hard-line Judiciary ordered the indefinite filtering of Telegram, which was later opposed by President Hassan Rohani and his communications minister.

Additional reading: Telegram App Law Enforcement Concerns

Despite the ban, many Iranians continued to use Telegram, with 56% of users still accessing the app in February to March 2019, according to the Tehran-based Iranian Student Polling Agency (ISPA).

Iran's government has been trying to promote its own messaging app, Soroush, which is linked to the national radio and TV broadcaster.

In April 2019, an Iranian court ordered a complete ban on Telegram, accusing it of disrupting national unity and spreading insults about sacred and religious matters.

The ban has coincided with an increase in government attempts to promote the "Halal Internet", a national online information network and messaging services developed solely by Iran.

Iran is ranked 164th out of 180 countries in the 2018 World Press Freedom Index, highlighting the country's restrictive media environment.

Telegram has been used extensively during protests in Iran, including the mass protests that took place late last year, with around 40 million people using the app in the country alone.

Here are some key facts about Iran's actions against Telegram:

Telegram has been a popular messaging service in Iran, with 40 million users, nearly half the population, before it was banned in 2018.

The Iranian government has been trying to promote a "Halal Internet" under its control, which includes a national online information network and messaging services developed solely by Iran. They have been urging Iranians to switch from Telegram to Soroush, a messaging service created by companies linked to the national radio and TV broadcaster, which is under complete state control.

Iran is ranked 164th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2018 World Press Freedom Index, making it one of the most censored countries in the world.

The Iranian government has been blocking Telegram intermittently since 2015, citing national security and public order as reasons.

Telegram's free voice calls feature was blocked in Iran just one day after its introduction. The reason behind this block is attributed to the low cost of calling using this feature, which would have resulted in significant financial losses for Iranian telecommunication network operators.

The Mobile Telecommunication Company of Iran, a state-owned operator, is believed to have been motivated by the potential revenue losses. Public relations of MTN Irancell, another operator, denied any involvement in the disruption of the service.

Mahmoud Vaezi, Chief of Staff of the President of Iran, explicitly stated that the block was intended to allow Iranian corporations to keep revenue from voice calls. This move highlights the government's efforts to regulate and control the flow of information and services in the country.

In 2015, Iranian authorities requested private information about citizens of Iran from Telegram's CEO, Pavel Durov.

The request was made on October 20, 2015, and Pavel Durov denied it, stating that Telegram cannot be used to spy on citizens.

As a result, Telegram was blocked in Iran for hours, but it was later unblocked.

Pavel Durov responded to the Iranian authorities by writing a letter, announcing that they cannot help them with their request to use Telegram for spying.

Content moderation request was a significant issue for Telegram in Iran. The Iranian government requested the closing of a Telegram channel called "Amad News" which called for violence against security forces. Telegram accepted the request as it also violated their terms of service and policies.

Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov received criticism for complying with the request. The channel was reinstated on the next day with a different title, Sedaye Mardom, after the admin who published the post calling for violence was dismissed.

Iranian government blocked access to Telegram after it refused to ban another channel, telegram.me/sedaiemardom. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov tweeted that Iranian authorities were blocking access to Telegram for the majority of Iranians.

The government lifted restrictions on Telegram on January 13, 2018, but applied permanent restrictions again after late April 2018. Iranian government created clones of Telegram called Talagram or Telegram Golden and Hotgram with overhauled censorship and features.

Related reading: Telegram App Ceo

Iran is planning to block the popular messaging app Telegram due to national security concerns. The app has been used by millions of Iranians to communicate and access information.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of Iran's Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, announced the ban during a radio interview. He stated that the decision was made at the highest levels of government.

Iran's government aims to replace Telegram with its own messaging app, Soroush. However, experts have raised concerns about the security of Soroush, which uses a proprietary encryption technology.

Telegram has been in a legal battle with the Russian intelligence service, FSB, over its encryption keys. The app's CEO, Pavel Durov, has stated that Telegram will continue to fight the decision.

Iran's government has already blocked access to Telegram in the past, citing national security concerns. The app's voice call feature was blocked in 2015, reportedly due to financial losses incurred by telecommunication network operators.

The Iranian government has also urged citizens to switch to Soroush, a messaging service created by companies linked to the national radio and TV broadcaster. However, many Iranians rely on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to bypass the government's restrictions.

Iran has a history of restricting access to social media and messaging apps. The country has been ranked 164th out of 180 countries in the 2018 World Press Freedom Index.

Here's a list of the key events leading up to the potential blockage of Telegram in Iran:

The blockage of Telegram has significant implications for Iranians who rely on the app for communication and access to information.

Iran's internet restrictions are quite strict, with tens of thousands of websites, including news sites and social media networks, being filtered regularly. This has led to a situation where Iranians frequently access banned sites through VPNs and other anti-filtering tools.

The Iranian government has even gone as far as to ban Telegram, a popular messaging app, multiple times. In May 2018, the hard-line Judiciary ordered the indefinite filtering of Telegram, citing national security concerns. However, this ban was met with resistance from President Hassan Rohani and his communications minister, who opposed the ban.

Iranians have found ways to circumvent these restrictions, with many using VPNs to access blocked websites and apps. This has led to a situation where some Iranians have more access to information than others, with those who can afford VPNs and other anti-filtering tools having an advantage over those who cannot.

The government has also tried to promote the use of homegrown messaging apps, but many Iranians have been reluctant to use them, preferring the security and anonymity offered by Telegram. This has led to a situation where the government is at odds with its own citizens, with many Iranians feeling that the government is trying to control their online activities.

Some notable examples of the government's attempts to restrict internet access include the blocking of Telegram's voice call feature in 2017, and the full blocking of Telegram access in some parts of the country in 2015. These measures have been met with resistance from the public, with many Iranians using VPNs and other circumvention tools to continue using the service.

Here are some key statistics on the impact of Iran's internet restrictions: