- The digital divide is not merely a result of local challenges but is amplified by international sanctions.
- Coupled with Internet censorship, international sanctions targeting Iran’s technological sector restrict Iran’s participation in the global economy, hinder innovation, and obstruct its technological infrastructure, reinforcing the marginalization of its citizens.
- The global community must abandon exclusionary policies and embrace bold, collective action to bridge this growing divide.
At last year’s Internet Governance Forum (IGF 2024), global leaders, experts, and stakeholders spotlighted the pressing need to safeguard human rights in the digital age, reaffirming that online freedoms must reflect offline rights.
Central to the forum was the critical issue of bridging the digital divide, with concrete calls for inclusive policies, community-driven solutions, and technological innovation to ensure meaningful connectivity for all.
However, as underscored in IGF 2024 discussions, the situation in countries like Iran reveals a more complex reality: the digital divide is not merely a result of local challenges but is amplified by international sanctions.
These sanctions systematically restrict access to global technologies, obstruct infrastructure development, and deepen inequities, directly undermining the principles of universal inclusion that IGF seeks to advance. The Iranian case is a stark example of how geopolitical barriers complicate the global commitment to a fair and equitable digital future.
Below is a summary of a report detailing the impact that sanctions have on Iran’s Internet and its users. Read the full report.
The Role of Sanctions in Widening the Digital Divide
Long categorized as a peripheral economy, Iran faces significant barriers to equitable development.
Coupled with domestic policies such as Internet censorship, international sanctions targeting Iran’s technological sector restrict Iran’s participation in the global economy, hinder innovation, and obstruct its technological infrastructure, reinforcing the marginalization of its citizens.
Barriers to Educational Resources
Restricted access to platforms for online learning, professional development, and global collaboration limits individuals’ opportunities to acquire the skills necessary to participate in the International digital economy. This exclusion is especially harmful to Iran’s youth, who represent a significant portion of the population and are eager to engage with the global digital ecosystem.
| Android Developers | CodeCanyon | Figma |
| Visual Studio Installer* | Elsevier* | Clamav |
| Chat GPT | Google Lens* | Google Earth |
| Coursera | Envato | Bytes |
| Google Cloud | CloudEra | Cadence |
| Google Developers | GtMetrix* | Docker |
| Firebase | OpenAI | BugSnag |
| Spotify DE | Google Analytics | Nvidia experience |
| CentOS Repositories | JetBrains | Microsoft Download* |
| BootStrap* | Google Play console | MathWorks |
* Services that have been made available to Iranian Internet users since the report was published.
Several innovation ecosystem activists and Iranian citizens campaigned and condemned the behavior against freedom of access to information made by companies in a petition. The signatories of the campaign above condemned the following technology embargoes:
- Restrictions on user access and geo-blocking Iranian IPs to public and international services, mainly cloud services.
- Restrictions on purchasing Internet services and connecting Iranian companies to international IXP networks.
- Sanctions against Iranian infrastructure companies.
- The removal of Iran as a nationality option in registration forms makes it impossible to register with Iranian phone numbers (+98).
Economic and Cultural Exclusion
Technological sanctions isolate Iran’s digital economy from global markets, inflating costs and limiting innovation. They also reduce the visibility of Persian and other regional languages.
Based on The Global Cloud Ecosystem 2022, Iran’s talented workforce ranks among the best globally in innovation and mathematics, yet systemic barriers prevent their skills from being fully utilized domestically. Many Iranians contribute to technological advancements abroad while their country lags in infrastructure and policy alignment. This brain drain underscores the paradox of sanctions: while Iranian talent enriches the global economy, the country itself remains excluded from technological progress.
Consequences for Internet Resilience
Iran’s Internet resilience is critically low. The Pulse Internet Resilience Index ranks Iran 148th out of 187 countries. This index evaluates key dimensions such as Internet infrastructure, performance, security, and market readiness.
Sanctions directly target Iran’s Internet infrastructure, restricting access to critical equipment and technologies needed for modernization. For example, international suppliers are prohibited from providing network equipment in Iran, causing infrastructure expansion to become complex and unprofitable, as has happened to Iran’s Telecommunication Infrastructure Company (TIC).
These restrictions degrade Internet affordability and performance, preventing millions of Iranian citizens from accessing the world’s latest technology.
The inability to access global cloud platforms and modern tools has also hindered the growth of reliable e-government services.
Abandon Exclusionary Policies to Make the Internet for Everyone
Iran is not the only country grappling with both internal restrictions and the consequences of international sanctions. I encourage others to speak up about how these measures affect their communities. Perhaps establishing a Special Interest Group for conflict regions could be a constructive solution.
Efforts to resolve this issue require two key steps—one at the domestic level and another at the international level:
- Countries facing technological discrimination should not only make their experiences transparent to the world but also remind domestic policymakers of the necessity to address the issue and give them a serious warning. For example, Iran’s Internet Quality Reports, published by the independent and professional Tehran E-Commerce Association, shed light on these challenges.
- To close this widening gap, the international community must abandon exclusionary policies and take bold, collective action. Access to digital tools and networks is not a privilege—it is a human right.
The global community must abandon exclusionary policies and embrace bold, collective action to bridge this growing divide. Access to digital tools and networks isn’t a privilege—it’s a human right.
By transforming sanctions into pathways for inclusion, we can reshape the digital landscape so that connection is favored over isolation so that every voice can thrive and everyone can truly appreciate the Internet.
Ilia Vakili is a Digital Rights Activist at Etchamber (Tehran Ecommerce Association).
Photo VIA ArvanCloud
