A senior judicial official, Abdolsamad Khorramabadi, said last week that the augmented realitygame posed a security dilemma and that the country’s intelligence apparatus approved of the ban.
“There are many problems with the game and security-wise, it can create problems for the country and our people,” Tasnim, a semi-official news agency quoted him as saying.
Iran’s tech-savvy young peoplequickly embraced the game, which has become a global phenomenon since its release last month.
Officials had previously hinted that they may allow the game to function in Iran on condition that its data servers would be transferred inside the country and that certain locations would be excluded. That request appears to have fallen on deaf ears.
Internet filtering is rife in Iran, but it has not stopped millions of users accessing blocked apps and websites. Iranians use anti-filtering software to bypass state restrictions and have proved extremely resilient, often migrating in their millions from one platform to another when a block is introduced. The success of the messaging app Telegram, which is used by one in four Iranians, is testament to that.
Millions of Iranians are also on Facebook and Twitter, despite access to both being blocked. Authorities have resorted to smart filtering in recent years, a mechanism that appears to be replacing the traditional blanket blocking of online services. Instagram and Telegram remain accessible, but officials say that content deemed inappropriate has been blocked.
“There are many problems with the game and security-wise, it can create problems for the country and our people,” Tasnim, a semi-official news agency quoted him as saying.
Iran’s tech-savvy young peoplequickly embraced the game, which has become a global phenomenon since its release last month.
Officials had previously hinted that they may allow the game to function in Iran on condition that its data servers would be transferred inside the country and that certain locations would be excluded. That request appears to have fallen on deaf ears.
Internet filtering is rife in Iran, but it has not stopped millions of users accessing blocked apps and websites. Iranians use anti-filtering software to bypass state restrictions and have proved extremely resilient, often migrating in their millions from one platform to another when a block is introduced. The success of the messaging app Telegram, which is used by one in four Iranians, is testament to that.
Millions of Iranians are also on Facebook and Twitter, despite access to both being blocked. Authorities have resorted to smart filtering in recent years, a mechanism that appears to be replacing the traditional blanket blocking of online services. Instagram and Telegram remain accessible, but officials say that content deemed inappropriate has been blocked.
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