Since Thursday Iranian Telegram users have been experiencing slower communications via the app which according to authorities is due to shutdown of the messaging service’s Content Delivery Network in Iran.
According to public relations manager of Iran High Council of Cyberspace, in view of recently issued regulations and Telegram’s noncompliance with them, the messenger’s permit for operating a CDN in Iran has been terminated.
Mohammad Hosseinpour says, “Since Telegram has failed to comply with [local] rules, operation of its CDNs in Iran have been deemed illegal.”
Telegram has never acknowledged installing a Content Delivery Network in the country.
Earlier last week the Committee for Determining Instances of Criminal Content, a working group under the supervision of the attorney general, laid down five terms Telegram and other foreign messaging apps must meet if they intend to stay on in Iran.
Abdolsamad Khoramabadi, secretary of the CDICC, spelled out the details of the regulations imposed on foreign messaging apps, saying that they are not allowed to operate inside the country unless they acquire a license from the ICT Ministry.
Other terms are: Telegram (and other foreign apps) must store and process Iranian user data within the borders of the country, must not grant foreigners access to consumer data, must protect user privacy and also have an official representative with plenipotentiary powers residing in Iran to answer inquiries from judicial authorities.
According to High Council of Cyberspace spokesman, “While the required infrastructure for installing Telegram servers in Iran has been established, the messaging app only set CDNs in Iran.” Therefore, the CDNs are to be disconnected from Iran’s communication network.
“The move can lead to a decline in quality of communications conducted via Telegram,” Hosseinpour noted.
Telegram is the most popular messaging app in Iran with over 40 million users.
