Mahmoud Vaezi, Iran's Minister of Communications, states that the filtering of the Instagram social network has been 83% successful so far, and they intend to extend the software used for filtering this network to other social media platforms. According to Mehr News Agency, Mr. Vaezi said on Tuesday, January 27, that two new 'produced' software for smart filtering have been implemented on Instagram and have achieved 83% success, with plans to use these two software on other social media in the second phase. Instagram is a popular internet social network with hundreds of millions of users worldwide, used for sharing photos. This service was acquired by Facebook in 2012 for one billion dollars. Fars News Agency reported on December 24 that with the start of 'smart filtering,' 'immoral' pages on Instagram have been blocked in Iran; however, the Minister of Communications stated that the government's policy is not to block social networks but rather to 'purify' them. Mahmoud Jafari Dolat Abadi, the Tehran prosecutor, also stated on February 5 that at the request of the Minister of Communications, a few months' deadline has been given to this ministry 'to implement the judicial order for filtering social networks or other plans that prevent crime in cyberspace.' According to Mehr News Agency, Mr. Vaezi said on Tuesday, January 27, regarding the deadlines given by the prosecutor's office for filtering social networks that 'I am not very aware of these deadlines, but what a government sees as its duty is to implement smart filtering to clean up the internet space.' Previously, Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, had written: 'I am very pleased that I can connect with dear friends and citizens through Instagram and benefit from your beautiful and delightful ideas, thoughts, and images.' He also warned supporters of filtering social networks that these media should not be allowed to become merely 'a place for the seculars to rampage.' Mahmoud Vaezi also announced plans to launch two national search engines as part of the important national information network, stating that these projects will be unveiled in collaboration with academics during the Fajr decade. In this context, the Tehran prosecutor stated that mobile communication software must be filtered, citing 'numerous complaints' in the judiciary about Line and WhatsApp. The Minister of Communications stated that with the establishment of domestic mobile networks, they will not block foreign examples. Rouhani's opposition to blocking popular social networks is also noted.
Iran's Minister of Communications: Instagram Filtering Has Been 83% Successful
Iran's Minister of Communications announced that the filtering of Instagram has achieved 83% success and plans to extend this filtering to other social media. The government emphasizes that it is not about blocking social networks but rather about purifying them. This move reflects ongoing tensions between the Iranian government and social media platforms.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
Iran's Minister of Communications announced that the filtering of Instagram has achieved 83% success and plans to extend this filtering to other social media platforms. The government claims this is part of a strategy to 'purify' social networks rather than block them outright.
- The filtering software has reportedly blocked 'immoral' content on Instagram in Iran.
- The Iranian government plans to implement similar filtering measures on other social media platforms.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
Iran has a complex relationship with social media, often viewing it as a threat to its ideological and political stability. The government has previously attempted to restrict access to various platforms.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%