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I'm a little surprised Whatsapp even works (worked) in Iran, given the US sanctions against the country.

by rippercushions 4y ago

toast0 4y ago
Communications software and services are generally exempt from those sorts of sanctions.
sleepyhead 4y ago
Perhaps it is because the sanctions are financial and WhatsApp does not charge users?
andrewinardeer 4y ago
The US government can issue licences to operate in Iran. Perhaps Meta secured one? GitHub has: https://github.blog/2021-01-05-advancing-developer-freedom-github-is-fully-available-in-iran/ https://github.blog/2021-01-05-advancing-developer-freedom-g...
javajosh 4y ago
Iran seems to think Whatsapp & Instagram are destabilizing such that turning them off can help quell domestic unrest. A couple of takeaways. First, holy shit. Communications software is powerful enough to put fear in the hearts of political rulers! Second, insofar as sanctions are designed as punitive measures against a government who's actions our government doesn't support, it makes no sense to restrict their access to goods and services their government finds disruptive. In fact, we'd probably want to give them extra.
- codedokode 4y ago
  > Communications software is powerful enough to put fear in the hearts of political rulers! Of course it is. No government wants people to get falseful information from unapproved sources.
- matheusmoreira 4y ago
  > Communications software is powerful enough to put fear in the hearts of political rulers! Yes. Encryption software can also defeat courts, judges, governments, militaries.
- pjc50 4y ago
  > Communications software is powerful enough to put fear in the hearts of political rulers! Well, yes, is this a surprise? Did you miss the "Arab Spring?" Or the Rohingya massacres? It's a double-edged sword. It can give you a revolution whether you need it or not or whether it's justified or not.
  - toyg 4y ago
    The internet is the digital equivalent of Guthenberg's press in Europe: on one hand, it ended the cultural primacy of the Catholic Church; on the other hand, it opened the door to hundreds of years of violence over who could reclaim that primacy. Eventually we will find a new equilibrium, but right now we're in choppy waters.
  - Balgair 4y ago
    The Arab Spring was about a decade ago. The poster could have been 8 years old at the time. HN's age range is pretty large. https://xkcd.com/1053/ https://xkcd.com/1053/
- x86_64Ubuntu 4y ago
  Communication networks are the first thing to disable or compromise in any conflict. Whether it's banning African slaves from having Talking Drums or cracking the Enigma during WWII, it's always a feature.

I'm a little surprised Whatsapp even works (worked) in Iran, given the US sanctions against the country.

toast0 4y ago

Communications software and services are generally exempt from those sorts of sanctions.

sleepyhead 4y ago

Perhaps it is because the sanctions are financial and WhatsApp does not charge users?

andrewinardeer 4y ago

The US government can issue licences to operate in Iran. Perhaps Meta secured one? GitHub has: https://github.blog/2021-01-05-advancing-developer-freedom-github-is-fully-available-in-iran/ https://github.blog/2021-01-05-advancing-developer-freedom-g...

javajosh 4y ago

Iran seems to think Whatsapp & Instagram are destabilizing such that turning them off can help quell domestic unrest. A couple of takeaways. First, holy shit. Communications software is powerful enough to put fear in the hearts of political rulers! Second, insofar as sanctions are designed as punitive measures against a government who's actions our government doesn't support, it makes no sense to restrict their access to goods and services their government finds disruptive. In fact, we'd probably want to give them extra.

codedokode 4y ago
> Communications software is powerful enough to put fear in the hearts of political rulers! Of course it is. No government wants people to get falseful information from unapproved sources.
matheusmoreira 4y ago
> Communications software is powerful enough to put fear in the hearts of political rulers! Yes. Encryption software can also defeat courts, judges, governments, militaries.
pjc50 4y ago
> Communications software is powerful enough to put fear in the hearts of political rulers! Well, yes, is this a surprise? Did you miss the "Arab Spring?" Or the Rohingya massacres? It's a double-edged sword. It can give you a revolution whether you need it or not or whether it's justified or not.
- toyg 4y ago
  The internet is the digital equivalent of Guthenberg's press in Europe: on one hand, it ended the cultural primacy of the Catholic Church; on the other hand, it opened the door to hundreds of years of violence over who could reclaim that primacy. Eventually we will find a new equilibrium, but right now we're in choppy waters.
- Balgair 4y ago
  The Arab Spring was about a decade ago. The poster could have been 8 years old at the time. HN's age range is pretty large. https://xkcd.com/1053/ https://xkcd.com/1053/
x86_64Ubuntu 4y ago
Communication networks are the first thing to disable or compromise in any conflict. Whether it's banning African slaves from having Talking Drums or cracking the Enigma during WWII, it's always a feature.