It has long sought to strictly control cyberspace and social media — and, thereby, the flow of information to the public. Those smartphones helped spread the startling burst of protests across Iran that opened 2018. Even before the 2009 protests, Iran blocked access to YouTube. The idea of Iran setting up its own “halal,” or “permissible,” internet first came in 2011 in the wake of the 2009 protests. It has evolved into what is known as the National Information Network (NIN).

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer January 29, 2018 00:45 UTC