where his verified account regularly sends out posts to an audience of
more than 2 million followers, but his account will no longer be
officially allowed in the country after authorities in Iran announced
plans to ban the photo sharing app, citing national security concerns.
Iran’s National Cyberspace Council has approved steps to block
Instagram, according to local reports, following crackdowns on other
social media apps. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Telegram are already
banned in the Islamic Republic, with internet providers ordered to block
access to the services.
The apps have often been used as a way to spread anti-government
messages, with Telegram in particular, often cited as a national
security concern.
The state prosecution service’s IT commissary, Javad Javadnia, said
on Thursday that “Instagram unfortunately has not only illegal but
immoral and obscene content” and authorities are presently waiting for
final decision from Iran’s political leadership to implement the ban,
the Isna news agency reported.