Iran has long employed internet filtering to weed out content deemed ideologically inappropriate, to block foreign apps and information, and to stifle opposition movements at home. At the same time, however, its technologically proficient population demands connectivity. The messaging app Telegram, in particular, has become a critical line of communication in business and political life. The trouble is, Telegram's encryption keeps user messages away from the prying eyes of intelligence services — a big liability for the government. For that reason, Tehran banned the app in April and has been promoting a domestic alternative, Soroush, in its place. Underpinning this strategy is the National Information Network (NIN), whose final phase entered service last summer.

The network functions as a domestic intranet that hosts Iranian websites and services — all under Tehran's watchful gaze. To access it, users and website owners must sign up with the government, an arrangement that empowers Iranian officials to coerce internet service providers to comply with their demands. And because the NIN is linked to the global internet only at certain access points, Iranian authorities can sever the connection as they see fit without disturbing the domestic network. That means Iran's government can cut access to the global internet for prolonged periods, as it did during the Green Movement protests, without taking the entire country offline.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/artic...network-online