Iran

Background Speech in the Islamic Republic of Iran is heavily regulated. The limits to freedom of expression in Iran are grounded in the constitution and speech restrictions extend over a broad range of topics, including religion, immorality, social harmony and politics. In comparison...

- Posted on 16/Jun/2009; tagged in Iran, Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

ONI Blog: After the Green Movement: Internet Controls in Iran, 2009-2012

This report, titled "After the Green Movement: Internet Controls in Iran, 2009-2012", details Iran’s increasing Internet controls since 2009, when protests against the victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad rocked the country. The election protest campaign--dubbed the “Green Movement”--was marked for...

- Posted on 15/Feb/2013; tagged in Iran, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Arrests and legal action, Surveillance, Elections, Political filtering, Internet tools filtering

ONI Blog: A Censorship-Free Alternative to the Global Internet?

As interest in finding alternatives to the global internet and reliance on Internet Service Providers (ISPs) has increased, many parties, ranging from online activists to municipal governments and Silicon Valley start-ups, have experimented with decentralized mesh networks, or meshnets—a...

- Posted on 08/Aug/2012; tagged in Iran, United States of America, United States/Canada, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Human rights, Circumvention

ONI Blog: Superbug 'Mahdi' Plagues Middle East Computers Using Social Engineering

Computer security firms Seculert and Kaspersky Lab recently joined forces to uncover the latest cyberwarfare superbug, Mahdi, according to InformationWeek. Named after the prophesied redeemer of Islam, this Trojan Horse “[roots] through computers to steal documents and record...

- Posted on 31/Jul/2012; tagged in Canada, Iran, Israel, United States/Canada, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Cybercrime and security

ONI Blog: Threats to the Open Net: July 20, 2012

A controversial Russian piece of legislation that would give the government broad powers over the Internet was passed by the upper house of parliament. Opponents of this law fear that it could lead to an increase in online censorship. ...

- Posted on 20/Jul/2012; tagged in China, Iran, Ethiopia, Russia, Asia, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Europe, Legislation, Arrests and legal action, Human rights, Cybercrime and security, Threats to the Open Net, IP blocking

ONI Blog: Threats to the Open Net: June 22, 2012

On Monday, Google released its bi-annual transparency report, documenting a drastic increase of takedown notices from around the globe. Highlights include a 49% increase in content censorship in India and a huge spike in requests from democratic regimes. The International...

- Posted on 22/Jun/2012; tagged in India, Iran, United States of America, Israel, Russia, Denmark, United States/Canada, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Europe, Legislation, Copyright, Cybercrime and security, Threats to the Open Net, Political filtering, Conflict and security filtering

ONI Blog: Threats to the Open Net: June 15, 2012

On Thursday, the UK Home Department released a draft of the Communications Bill. Home Secretary Theresa May defended the bill saying, “If we stand by as technology changes, we will leave police officers fighting crime with one hand tied behind...

- Posted on 15/Jun/2012; tagged in Iran, United States of America, Ethiopia, United Kingdom, United States/Canada, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Europe, Surveillance, Cybercrime and security, Privacy, Anonymity, Data retention, Threats to the Open Net, Political filtering, Conflict and security filtering, Filtering tech and software

ONI Blog: Stuxnet-Flame Connection Highlights the Rise of State-Sanctioned Cyberweaponry

Researchers at the Kaspersky Lab in Russia are reporting that the destructive malware known as Flame, a bug that has been infecting computers in Iran and elsewhere, is now being tied to the other superbug dubbed Stuxnet, the computer bug suspected of...

- Posted on 12/Jun/2012; tagged in Iran, United States of America, Israel, United States/Canada, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Surveillance, Cybercrime and security

ONI Blog: CPJ Ranks Ten Most Censored Countries

In preparation for World Press Freedom Day, the Committee to Protect Journalists published its findings on the most censored countries in the world. The top three countries with the most press restrictions and least access to media information were revealed to...

- Posted on 03/May/2012; tagged in Belarus, Burma, Cuba, Guinea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Syria, Guinea, Asia, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Europe, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Legislation, Circumvention, Surveillance, Threats to the Open Net, Political filtering, Social filtering, Internet tools filtering

ONI Blog: Threats to the Open Net: April 13, 2012

Iran's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has denied that they are planning a domestic intranet. In a statement, they claimed that rumors about an intranet were the result of hostile propaganda from the west. Major software and Internet companies have ...

- Posted on 14/Apr/2012; tagged in China, Iran, United States of America, United States/Canada, Asia, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Threats to the Open Net