The Government's Struggle with the Popular Messaging App

With forty million users, which constitutes about two-thirds of the adult population of the country, Telegram has transcended being a simple messaging app for Iranians and has become a phenomenon that plays a significant role in daily life; it serves as a source of information and news, a preferred means of personal and collective communication among friends, acquaintances, and families, a place for business, a venue for entertainment and leisure, and a platform for political, social, and cultural activities. Now, whispers that have been heard for some time regarding the possibility of Telegram being filtered in Iran and joining other 'banned' networks and platforms have gradually taken on a more serious tone. This possibility became more serious when the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic removed his channel, which had about one million members, from access to join domestic and local messaging apps. In this program, we ask what you will do if Telegram is not available? Will you join domestic messaging apps or resort to VPNs? Do you trust domestic messaging apps? Where does the Islamic Republic's campaign against the free flow of information lead? Additionally, Amir Rashidi, an internet researcher, answers questions raised about the potential filtering of Telegram and the possibility of replacing it with domestic messaging apps.