TEHRAN: Iran’s top council responsible for safeguarding the internet voted on Tuesday to lift a ban on the popular messaging application WhatsApp, which has been subject to restrictions for over two years, state media reported.

“The ban on WhatsApp and Google Play was removed by unanimous vote of the members of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace,” the official IRNA news agency said.

The council is headed by the president and its members include 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,” Minister of Communications Sattar Hashemi said on X.

It was not immediately clear when the decision would come into force. The move has sparked a debate in Iran, with critics of the restrictions arguing the controls were costly for the country.

Move sparks debate, with critics of restrictions arguing controls were costly for the country

“The restrictions have achieved nothing but anger and added costs to people’s lives,” presidential adviser Ali Rabiei said on X.

“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,” Vice President Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday. Others, however, warned against lifting the restrictions.

The reformist Shargh daily on Tuesday reported that 136 lawmakers in the 290-member parliament sent a letter to the council saying the move would be a “gift to (Iran’s) enemies”.

The lawmakers called for allowing access to restricted online platforms only “if they are committed to the values of Islamic society and comply with the laws of” Iran.

Apps still blocked

Iranian officials have in the past called for the foreign companies that own popular international apps to introduce representative offices in Iran.

Meta, the American giant that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has said it had no intention of setting up offices in the Islamic republic, which remains under US sanctions. Iranians have over the years grown accustomed to using virtual private networks, or VPNs, to bypass internet restrictions.

Other popular social media platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube remain blocked after being banned in 2009. Telegram was also banned by a court order in April 2018.

Instagram and WhatsApp were added to the list of blocked applications following nationwide protests that erupted after the September 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini.

Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, was arrested for an alleged breach of Iran’s dress code for women. Hundreds of people, including several security personnel, were killed in the subsequent months-long nationwide protests and thousands of demonstrators were arrested.

Pezeshkian, who took office in July, had vowed during his campaign to ease the long-standing internet restrictions.

Iran has introduced in the past several years domestic applications to supplant popular foreign ones. For navigation there are Neshan and Balad, and for ride-hailing people can use Snapp! or Tapsi. Bale, Ita, Rubika and Soroush were introduced as local messaging apps that can also be used for making calls.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2024