Science and Technology

Radiofarda – Iran banned government bodies on Wednesday from using the popular Telegram instant messaging app as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s office said his account would shut down to protect national security, Iranian media reported.

CHRI – Education Ministry Bans Telegram on Campuses On the same day the secretary of Iran’s Supreme Cyberspace Council told a radio program that the widely used Telegram app could be blocked “at any moment,” the Education Ministry banned the app on campuses nationwide. “I use Telegram as well as Instagram but based on the commitment I have to domestic …

Iran-HRM – According to reports, a Tehran appeals court sentenced three men identified as Alireza Tavakoli, Mohammad Mehdi Zamanzadeh and Mohammad Mohajer for expressing their beliefs on Facebook and Telegram to five years of prison on charges of acting against national security and blasphemy. A source close to these three internet activists said that they had been detained in Evin …

iranhumanrights – On the same day that Iran’s supreme leader issued a religious ruling ordering the state to refrain from “violating the people’s security and domestic space,” state hackers used malware to access private user information, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned.

iranhumanrights – Following a recent flurry of public criticism of domestically made messaging apps, Iran’s supreme leader has issued a fatwa calling on the government and the Judiciary to protect citizens’ personal privacy rights.

Radiofarda – A hardline Iranian cleric claims that President Rouhani’s government intends to filter the messaging app Telegram and put the blame on the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

PayvandNews – The adult competitions for the 13th edition of RoboCup Iran Open kicked off on April 5 at Tehran International Exhibition Center, with participation of about 500 teams.

CHRI – Decision made at the “highest level” has set the stage for blocking social network used by 40 million. App can be blocked on supreme leader’s order but Iranians unlikely to flock to domestic alternatives due to privacy concerns.

Iran-HRM – The Chairman for the Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security in Majlis said that Telegram would be replaced by a similar domestic platform.

Radiofarda – Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has said on April 3 that Iran is not planning to ban popular messaging application Telegram.