Iran lifts ban on government use of non-domestic messaging apps

The Special Headquarters for Organizing and Guiding Cyberspace has officially lifted the ban on government agencies using non-domestic messaging applications for official information dissemination. Abbas Pazouki, Deputy for Communications and Information in the Office of the First Vice President, noted that the previous restriction had created a vacuum, allowing rumors and psychological operations to spread on international platforms while official state channels remained absent from where the public was active.

During the meeting, chaired by Dr. Aref, officials also discussed the ‘Iran-boom’ project, a national strategic plan for a digital ecosystem aimed at establishing a comprehensive e-government. This initiative seeks to digitize administrative, academic, commercial, health, and tax-related services into a single platform to reduce bureaucracy and corruption. The Ministry of Communications is working on a localized version of this plan, utilizing artificial intelligence to streamline processes.