Iran's judiciary ordered the popular Telegram instant messaging app be shut down to protect national security, state TV reported on Monday.

The order follows a temporary ban introduced by the government in January after dissidents used it to organize protests.
• State TV reported that the prosecutor has ordered that companies block the app in a way that would not allow users to bypass the restrictions using a virtual private network.
• Though Telegram has been used by dissidents to successfully organize mass protests, Iran's authorities say the app's primary clientele comprises terrorists and pornographers.
• In anticipation of the ban, many government-affiliated users had already switched to Iranian alternatives to the international service.

"Considering various complaints against the Telegram social networking app by Iranian citizens and based on the demand of security organizations to confront the illegal activities of Telegram, the judiciary has banned its usage in Iran," state television reported when announcing the decision on Monday.

Mizan, the website of Iran's judiciary, reported that authorities had ordered the app's shutdown for actions that "included propaganda against the establishment, terrorist activities, spreading lies to incite public opinion, anti-government protests and pornography."

Telegram had just been returned to Iran and several other countries after servers in the company's home base of Dubai overheated at the weekend: "The service is now restored for most of Europe, Africa, Russia and CIS," Telegram's social media team wrote on Twitter Sunday, referring to the Commonwealth of Independent States, "Iran and Middle East coming soon."

Possibly preemptive measure: Media speculate that authorities finalized their ban on the service ahead of the May 12 deadline for US President Donald Trump to decide whether he will renew sanctions relief for Iran in accord with the 2015 multination deal reached by his predecessor, Barack Obama. Should Trump refuse, the effects on the domestic economy could see Iranians take to the streets to protest their government all over again.

Read more: 6 top-scoring encrypted messaging apps you should try if you're worried about privacy

Iran is also currently at the center of several regional disputes, having engaged Middle East rivals by proxy in the civil wars in Yemen and Syria, in addition to attempting to providing a stabilizing role in Iraq.

The order by Iran's judiciary came as people have taken to the streets in Russia to protest a block on the Telegram service there and even the leaders of states less frequently described as rogue have set their sights on putting an end to encrypted user-to-user communications.

Officials have encouraged Iranians to use domestic alternatives to Telegram in advance of the ban, including the new Soroush app. However, many people fear that the security services may have built spying capabilities into such apps and have proved reluctant to use them.

Read more: Brief WhatsApp ban in Brazil sends users scrambling for alternatives

Every evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of news and features. You can sign up to receive it here.</s>Iran's judiciary has issued an order to ban access to telegram messaging app in Iran.</s>Image copyright AFP Image caption Millions of Iranians rely on their mobile devices for news and business

Iran has banned all use of the popular Telegram messaging app.

The ban had been introduced to protect "national security", said a statement aired on state television.

It is believed the ban is connected to protests expected on 12 May if US President Donald Trump re-imposes sanctions on Iran.

Iranian authorities have complained before about the way Telegram has been used by anti-government groups to organise rallies and protests.

State television programmes in Iran said the ban had been prompted by "various complaints" against Telegram by Iranians and the demands of the nation's security services to "confront" its illegal activities.

A statement placed on Mizan, the official website of Iran's judiciary, said the security of the state had been threatened by the actions of Telegram users, which included "propaganda against the establishment, terrorist activities, spreading lies to incite public opinion, anti-government protests and pornography".

Protests are expected in Iran later this month as an accord that lifted economic sanctions on the nation comes up for renewal.

President Trump has set a deadline of 12 May for what he described as "flaws" in the deal to be fixed. If they remain, he is set to abandon the deal.

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The ban, which cuts off access to the Telegram website and its app, came into force on 30 April.

In late April, Iranian officials told Telegram to move some servers out of the country to stop the sharing of images and videos via Telegram.

In January, the app suffered a short ban following protests in more than 80 cities, many of which, the government says, were organised via the app.

Telegram is believed to have about 40 million users in Iran. Many use it because the way it encrypts or scrambles messages makes it much harder for security services to scrutinise what they are saying.

The Iranian government has sought to push citizens to use official alternatives to Telegram, including the Soroush messaging app.

Iran's action against Telegram follows similar moves by Russia to block use of the app. Users mounted protests in Moscow this week, calling for the lifting of the block and to lobby for more online freedom.</s>Iran’s judiciary has banned the popular Telegram instant messaging app to protect national security, Iranian state television said on Monday.

Iran had been considering the ban since January when protests over economic grievances erupted in more than 80 cities and later turned into demonstrations against the clerical and security elite of the Islamic Republic.

Some hardline officials said protesters used Telegram to organise the rallies, which were ultimately contained by the Revolutionary Guards and their affiliated volunteer Basij militia. The app was temporarily blocked in January.

“Considering various complaints against the Telegram social networking app by Iranian citizens, and based on the demand of security organisations to confront the illegal activities of Telegram, the judiciary has banned its usage in Iran,” state TV reported.

“All Internet providers in Iran must take steps to block Telegram’s website and app as of 30 April,” the judiciary website Mizan quoted a court order as saying.

The court order, according to Mizan, said Iran’s security had been threatened by Telegram as it had been used to mobilise many anti-government protests.

Mizan said: “Those actions included propaganda against the establishment, terrorist activities, spreading lies to incite public opinion, anti-government protests and pornography.”

Iran’s Shi’ite clerical rulers are wary of any revival of anti-government unrest if President Donald Trump refuses to extend US sanctions relief on Iran on May 12, a deadline set by him for European signatories of Iran’s 2015 deal with six world powers to “fix the terrible flaws” of the accord.

Britain, France and Germany have been trying to dissuade Trump from ditching the deal struck during his predecessor Barack Obama’s administration. A US exit could unravel the accord and increase economic pressure on ordinary Iranians.

The order to ban Telegram was issued a few days after Iran barred government bodies from using the app, favoured by Iranian state media, politicians, companies and ordinary Iranians alike.

A widespread government Internet filter prevents Iranians from accessing many internet sites on the official grounds that they are offensive or criminal.

But many Iranians evade the filter through use of VPN software, which provides encrypted links directly to private networks based abroad, and can allow a computer to behave as if it is based in another country.

“The blocking of the Telegram app should be a way to prevent users from accessing it with VPN or any other software,” the semi-official Fars news agency said. Telegram has an estimated 40 million users in Iran.

Iranian officials have been encouraging Iranians to use domestic alternatives to Telegram. The Soroush app was released last month offering most of Telegram’s features. But many Iranians are reluctant to use domestic apps, fearing they could be used by security services to spy on them.

The Soroush app features female emojis, covered with conservative black Islamic headscarves and carrying signs saying “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”.</s>MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Iran's judiciary bodies have decided to ban the use of Telegram messaging app, local media reported on Monday.

According to the IRIB broadcaster, many Iranians complained about the messenger.

READ MORE: Moscow Arbitration Court Records First Lawsuit Over Telegram Messenger Ban

The Iranian authorities have taken several steps to limit Telegram’s activity in the country over company’s refusal to transfer its servers to Iran. On December 31, 2017, Tehran blocked the messenger amid nationwide protests in the country. The ban was lifted two weeks later, however, the Telegram's voice call service has remained blocked.

In 2017, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov said that 40 million Iranian citizens used the app monthly, which makes it one of the most popular social networks in the country.</s>Iran has banned all use of the popular Telegram messaging app. The ban had been introduced to protect "national security," said a statement aired on state television. From a report:</s>ANKARA (REUTERS) - Iran's judiciary has banned the popular Telegram instant messaging app to protect national security, Iran's state TV reported on Monday (April 30).

"Considering various complaints against Telegram social networking app by Iranian citizens, and based on the demand of security organisations for confronting the illegal activities of Telegram, the judiciary has banned its usage in Iran," it reported.

The order was issued days after Iran banned government bodies from using Telegram, which is widely used by Iranian state media, politicians, companies and ordinary Iranians.

A widespread government Internet filter prevents Iranians from accessing many sites on the official grounds that they are offensive or criminal.

But many Iranians evade the filter through use of VPN software, which provides encrypted links directly to private networks based abroad, and can allow a computer to behave as if it is based in another country.

"The blocking of Telegram app should be in a way to prevent users from accessing it with VPN or any other software," the Fars news agency said. The app had over 40 million users in Iran.</s>Internet service providers in Iran have been ordered to block access to Telegram.

It has only been a few weeks since encrypted messaging app Telegram was blocked in Russia, and now the Iranian judiciary has banned the service, citing concerns for national security.

About 40m people in Iran use the service.

Reuters reported that the ban had been under consideration since January of this year, following a series of protests in cities across the country, which escalated into demonstrations against the Islamic Republic elites and clerics.

According to AP, 25 people died and 5,000 were arrested during the protests in December 2017 and early 2018. The app was temporarily shut down at this time, but users were able to use VPNs to work around the obstacles.

Russian authorities banned the service after Telegram refused to hand over encryption keys to allegedly be used in counterterrorism efforts. In Iran, Telegram was apparently used to spread “propaganda against the establishment, terrorist activities, spreading lies to incite public opinion, anti-government protests and pornography”, according to Mizan.

State television in Iran reported: “Considering various complaints against the Telegram social networking app by Iranian citizens, and based on the demand of security organisations to confront the illegal activities of Telegram, the judiciary has banned its usage in Iran.”

Telegram is out of bounds

The Tehran prosecutor ordered that both the mobile and desktop versions of the app are to be blocked in such a way that the use of a VPN would be ineffective.

The Iranian government said that Telegram and other foreign messaging apps could obtain operating licences in the country if they transferred their databases into that region, but privacy advocates are wary this could make state surveillance much easier.

There is an alternative app in Iran called Soroush, which has most of the same features, but domestic apps are more likely to be used for surveillance purposes, privacy experts say.

Authorities in Iran are keen to put a lid on any anti-government unrest, particularly if US president Donald Trump decides not to extend US sanctions relief to the country on 12 May – a deadline set by him for European signatories of a deal with Iran in 2015 to “fix the terrible flaws” of the agreement.

Activists in Iran are finding novel ways to battle government censorship and spread protests across the country, even without the use of Telegram. Messages are even being written on banknotes and spread throughout the country.

The international sanctions imposed on Iran have hurt its economy, and protests that began as a response to this have quickly turned to calls for Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to step down.</s>Iran's judiciary has banned the popular Telegram instant messaging app to protect national security, Iran's state TV reported on Monday.

ANKARA: Iran's judiciary has banned the popular Telegram instant messaging app to protect national security, Iran's state TV reported on Monday.

"Considering various complaints against Telegram social networking app by Iranian citizens, and based on the demand of security organisations for confronting the illegal activities of Telegram, the judiciary has banned its usage in Iran," TV reported.

The order came days after Iran banned government bodies from using the Telegram app, which is widely used by Iranian state media, politicians, companies and ordinary Iranians.</s>Facebook announced during its F8 conference that it’s bringing translations and augmented reality to its Messenger app. The company also teased that a redesign for the Messenger app is on the way and it will include a dark mode.

Facebook made its first steps in making augmented reality a huge part of its platform last year by introducing AR Spaces and AR Studio for developers. Now, the company is bringing its AR technologies to the Messenger app as a way to help businesses sell their products.

“With this launch, businesses large and small can leverage the Camera Effects Platform to easily integrate AR into their Messenger experience, bringing the virtual and physical worlds one step closer together,” Facebook’s vice president of Messenger products David Marcus said.

“So, when a person interacts with your business in Messenger, you can prompt them to open the camera, which will be pre-populated with filters and AR effects that are specific to your brand. From there, people can share the image or video to their story or in a group or one-to conversation or they can simply save it to their camera roll.”

ASUS, Kia, Nike and Sephora will be the first batch of brands to take advantage of this new augmented reality feature on the Messenger app. Nike will use the AR feature by letting its customers get a look at a new pair of sneakers, while Sephora will let users try on its makeup collections using AR filters. ASUS will use the tech to help its customers get a more comprehensive look at its phones, while Kia will provide users with an augmented reality look at the new Kia Stinger.

Translations are finally arriving in the Facebook Messenger app in the coming weeks to all users in the United States. At launch, Messenger users will be able to simply tap on the “Translate to…” button when Facebook’s M Translations bot detects a message that’s not the user’s default language.

“Now when people connected through Marketplace receive a message in a language that is different from their default language in Messenger, M will ask them if they want to translate the message. This will help drive commerce between buyers and sellers despite language barriers,” Marcus said.

The feature will only be available to buyers and sellers in the Messenger Marketplace. Facebook says that it plans to improve and iterate the translation feature in Messenger and eventually launch it in additional countries and languages.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg teased that a major redesign will be arriving for the Messenger app “very, very soon” that would simplify the user experience. During the F8 conference, the company showed off the redesigned app and it looks like Messenger will only have three tabs at the bottom navigation bar.

The top of the Messenger app also appears to have quick access to the user’s profile, the camera, video chat and a button to compose a new message, according to The Verge. Below is the search bar and the scrollable carousel for Messenger Stories. Overall, the redesigned app looks cleaner than before and is more focused on making it faster for users to communicate with friends.

Another feature that’s part of the redesign is dark mode. Not only is this a welcome change, but it’s also great for users who have smartphones equipped with OLED displays.
Iran bans the Telegram messenger app, citing national security concerns.