Authorities blocked access to the photo-sharing app Instagram, which is owned by tech giant Facebook. On Sunday, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov claimed in a post on Twitter that authorities had blocked access to the app. "Iranian authorities are blocking access to Telegram for the majority of Iranians after our public refusal to shut down ... peacefully protesting channels," he claimed. Facebook itself has been banned in Iran since protests against the disputed 2009 re-election of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, some in Iran access it and other banned websites using virtual private networks.

Source: Bangkok Post December 31, 2017 19:18 UTC