Iran’s ministry of education on Sunday banned the use of
foreign social media networks in schools, the ILNA news
agency reported, amid a push by Tehran to limit the influence
of outside online platforms.
Schools must “only use domestic social networks” for their
communication, the ministry said in a statement, according to
the reformist-linked news agency.
Telegram is the most popular social network in Iran. In 2017,
the app claimed it had 40-million monthly users in the Islamic
Republic.
Instagram is also very popular, and companies in Iran — like
elsewhere — often use both platforms to communicate directly
with customers.
Less used, Facebook and Twitter are blocked in Iran, but
easily accessible using a virtual private network (VPN).
During a wave of protests that hit dozens of Iranian cities over
at the start of the year, Iranian authorities temporarily banned
Telegram, accusing the app of allowing foreign-based
“counter-revolutionary” groups to fuel unrest.
Since then, authorities have sought to develop Iranian social
media networks and limit the reliance on foreign-based
platforms, which Tehran accuses of hosting sites deemed
hostile to the Islamic Republic.
Several Iranian platforms offering services similar to Telegram
have emerged in recent months, like the Soroush network,
which already claims to have five million subscribers.
According to the official IRNA news agency,
Telecommunication Minister Mohammad-Javad Azari
Jahromi recently pledged Iranian networks would offer the
same guarantees of confidentiality as foreign platforms.
“No message is read, and no (personal) information is
communicated to anyone,” he told parliament.
In a statement recently posted to his website, Iran’s Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the government should
guarantee the “security and privacy” of people on the internet.
Khamenei called intrusions into online privacy “haram”, or
prohibited from a religious standpoint.
Iranian media has appeared to encourage people to join the
new networks by assuring viewers they will continue to
operate even if Telegram is again banned.
https://www.freshstuffs.com.ng/2018/04/iran-bans-foreign-social-networks-in.html?m=1