Iran finally lifts ban on WhatsApp and Google Play
What's the story
Iran is lifting its ban on WhatsApp and Google Play, country's official news agency IRNA reported. The decision was taken by Supreme Council of Cyber Space during a meeting chaired by reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian. Citing the meeting, IRNA reported "A positive majority vote has been reached to lift limitations on access to some popular foreign platforms such as WhatsApp and Google Play." The move comes as part of Pezeshkian's commitment to ease restrictions on social media platforms.
Policy shift
A step toward further liberalization
Telecommunications Minister Sattar Heshemi called the lifting of the ban a "first step" toward removing more restrictions. In a post on X, he wrote, "The path will continue," indicating that more services could be unblocked. While some users have claimed to have accessed these platforms on computers, mobile access remained unavailable since the ban was first impossed over two years ago. The decision to unblock WhatsApp and Google Play still needs approval from Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
Usage statistics
WhatsApp's popularity and the initial ban
Before the ban, WhatsApp was Iran's third most popular messaging platform, after Instagram and Telegram. The ban on WhatsApp and Google Play was introduced in 2022 amid nationwide protests over the death of a woman arrested by morality police for allegedly violating strict dress codes. The protests died down in 2023 after a brutal government crackdown that resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of imprisonments. Despite blocking several social media platforms, many Iranians bypass restrictions using proxies and VPNs.