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<aside> ➡️ Examples of Social Media Companies or/and VoIP Services: Twitter, Meta platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), Telegram
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<aside> 📌 In January 2023, Meta’s Oversight Board overturned the company's removal of a Facebook post with the slogan "Marg bar Khamenei" ("Down with Khamenei"), used in protests against Iran's regime and the Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khamenei [2]. The Board found the phrase did not violate incitement policies given the linguistic and political context. It criticized Meta's lack of preparation for increased takedowns during protests, failure to instruct reviewers, and automatic appeal rejections. This decision echoed a longtime request from Iranian digital rights advocates for social media companies to devote more resources to content moderation that considers linguistic and cultural context. Advocates have also criticized haphazard account closures, access limitations, and sudden policy changes around authentication that negatively impact Iranians' right to freedom of expression, non-discrimination, and privacy.
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<aside> đź“Ś (UDHR Article 12: privacy; UDHR Article. 1 and 2: Right to equality and freedom from discrimination; UDHR Article. 19,20: Right to freedom of expression, assembly, and association)
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Two-factor authentication (2FA/MFA) is integral for safeguarding Iranians' online privacy. In Iran, the association of SIM card phone numbers with individuals' government IDs makes the sole reliance on phone number-based 2FA/MFA a vulnerable point for cyberattacks and government surveillance. For technology companies, it's crucial to decide on the available MFA options, appropriately respond to government user data requests, and provide 2FA/MFA setup guidance in local languages like Farsi, Kurdish, Baluchi, etc.
For Iranian social media users, anonymity is a vital tool to voice opposition or criticism against governmental policies without fear of persecution. While some authorities in more democratic countries have advocated for real-name policies to counter disinformation and online election manipulation, the distinctive Iranian scenario emphasizes the importance of maintaining anonymous online expression.
Verified badges on social platforms serve as a beacon of authenticity and defense against impersonation for many Iranian activists, journalists, and dissidents. However, the criteria for obtaining these badges often hinder many Iranians from accessing them. Moreover, while paid subscriptions offer enriched services, such systems can sideline those who cannot afford them. For many Iranians, external factors like financial sanctions and high currency exchange rates make accessing these benefits nearly impossible. Social media companies must, therefore, navigate these challenges, especially when shaping blue checkmark policies, paid feature accessibility, and Know-Your-Customer (KYC) guidelines.
While social media companies generally adhere to local laws, in Iran, most of these companies have not yet conformed to the local requirement of complying with content removal demands or having a local representative. Companies like Meta have declined to collaborate with the Iranian government. As a form of retaliation by the Iranian government, many major platforms are inaccessible in Iran, prompting users to rely on VPNs. This can occasionally result in content being flagged based on the VPN host country's laws or offering reporting options that include violations based on local laws, such as Germany’s Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG) [3]. In addition, automated and human moderation systems often misinterpret the Iranian language, culture, and history. The lack of transparency in these systems and the removal of crucial content which helps document rights violations are significant issues from Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) perspectives as well.