Iranian Government's Digital Control Tactics are a Sophisticated Form of Repression, Says Researcher

The Iranian government's techniques of digital control have gotten so sophisticated that, if you were in the country, you might not even notice it happening, human rights advocate Mani Mostofi tells Spark host Nora Young.

"For example, your Iranian version of Uber would still work. You could still check your bank account," he said. But popular international platforms like WhatsApp or Instagram would be completely inaccessible.

Mostofi, director of the Miaan Group — a U.S.-based organization that researches digital rights in Iran — has seen the Islamic Republic of Iran shift from broad shutdowns of the entire country's Internet to precise, targeted blocking of access to mobile data in specific neighbourhoods where protests are planned.

Mostofi says the recent shutdowns are part of a broader effort by Iran to essentially nationalize the Internet, with domestic tech companies creating their own versions of everything from social media to chat apps to food delivery services. This makes the country less reliant on international networks and platforms — and makes it much easier for the government to surveille.

"Not only are they building a domestic infrastructure that basically meets their censorship standards," said Mostofi, "but also gives them access to user data and traffic patterns and things like this, because it's all localized within the country and there's very little resistance [from] Internet service providers."

VIA CBC, Canada