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John --
Today, NIAC released a new report entitled "The Impact of U.S. Sanctions on Internet Access in Iran," which explores how U.S. sanctions have inadvertently helped Iran’s government censor and repress its population online—and what the Biden administration can do about it.
READ THE FULL REPORT ➤
The report follows our expert panel in April on the same topic, and does a deep dive into how sanctions have played into the hands of Iran’s government and bolstered its efforts to create a “national internet” to cut off Iranians' access to the global internet at its discretion. This drive has intensified in recent years, with the Iranian government increasingly deploying internet outages in response to public protests—a pattern that again emerged during the recent water protests in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province. Moreover, a bill working its way through Iran’s parliament is likely to further securitize online activities in Iran.
Unfortunately, U.S. sanctions have also hampered Iranians' access to modern online tools and services by forcing tech giants like Apple, Amazon, and Google to block Iranians from accessing their tools and services. This means Iranians increasingly lack the tools needed to circumvent government filters and have little choice but to use state-backed platforms.
The U.S. has an obligation to make sure its sanctions are not reinforcing the Iranian government’s ability to silence its population. The report offers a series of recommendations to the Biden administration about how it can counter Iranian government repression, alleviate a cumbersome licensing process for tech companies to operate in Iran, and update its guidance to ensure they evolve alongside rapidly changing technology.
You can check out the full report here >
We'll keep you updated as the Biden administration reexamines its sanctions policies, including on how they impact internet access and freedom in Iran. As always, thank you for your support, and we'll be in touch soon.
Best,
Ryan Costello
Policy Director, NIAC
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