US is adjusting sanctions to assist Iranians in avoiding online surveillance

• The U.S. Treasury Department issues guidance expanding the range of internet services available to Iranians.
• The move comes amid protests around Iran following the death of a 22-year-old woman in custody.
• Washington has long provided some internet-related exceptions to its sanctions on Iran.

The US Treasury Department issued guidance on Friday expanding the range of internet services available to Iranians despite US sanctions on the country, as protests erupted across Iran in response to the death of a 22-year-old woman in custody.

Officials said the move would help Iranians gain access to tools that can be used to circumvent state surveillance and censorship, but it would not prevent Tehran from using communications tools to stifle dissent, as it did on Wednesday when it cut off internet access to most citizens.

“As courageous Iranians take to the streets to protest the death of Mahsa Amini,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said, “the United States is redoubling its support for the free flow of information to the Iranian people.” “With these changes, we are better equipping the Iranian people to counter the government’s efforts to spy on and censor them.”

Adeyemo went on to say that Washington would continue to issue guidance in the coming weeks.

After days of protests in Tehran and other cities, public outrage in Iran over Amini’s death last week showed no signs of abating, with protesters torching police stations and vehicles earlier on Thursday and reports of security forces being attacked.

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Amini, a Kurdish woman, was detained by morality police in Tehran for “unsuitable attire” and went into a coma while in custody. Authorities have stated that they will look into the cause of her death.

NetBlocks, an internet monitoring group, reported a new mobile internet disruption in Iran on Thursday, where access to social media and some content is severely restricted. On Monday, NetBlocks reported “near-total” internet connectivity disruption in the Kurdish region’s capital, linking it to the protests.

Washington has long provided some internet-related exceptions to its sanctions against Iran, but the Treasury said Friday’s update to the general licence seeks to modernise them.

According to a Treasury official who briefed reporters on the licence on the condition of anonymity, the new licence includes social media platforms and video conferencing and expands access to cloud-based services used to deliver virtual private networks (VPNs), which provide users with online anonymity, and other anti-surveillance tools.

The licence also authorises anti-virus, anti-malware, and anti-tracking software, according to the Treasury, and removes a previous requirement that communications be “personal” to make compliance easier for businesses.

When asked how the expanded licence would help Iranians if their government shuts down internet access again, a State Department official briefing reporters said Iran’s government would still have “repressive communication tools.”

According to the official, the new licence makes it “easier for the Iranian people to confront some of those oppressive tools.” “That doesn’t mean they don’t exist any longer.”

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On Friday, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk responded to a tweet from Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the new licence with the comment “Activating Starlink,” a reference to the company’s satellite broadband service, which is already being used by Ukraine to fight Russia’s invasion.

Musk stated on Monday that his company would provide Starlink to Iranians and would seek a sanctions waiver to do so.

“Our understanding of Starlink is that what they provide would be commercial grade, and it would be hardware that is not covered in the general licence; so that would be something they would need to write into Treasury,” a Treasury official briefing reporters said.

After the updated licence was issued on Friday, a State Department spokesperson stated that it was self-executing and that “anyone who meets the criteria outlined in this general licence can proceed with their activities without requesting additional permissions.”

If SpaceX determines that some activity aimed at Iranians requires a specific licence, the State Department spokesperson says, “OFAC would welcome and prioritise it.”

“By the same token,” the State Department spokesperson said, “if SpaceX determines that its activity is already authorised and has any questions, OFAC welcomes that engagement.”

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