Telegram’s Activity Hinges on Compliance

Authorities in Tehran have set forth conditions for the continued activity of Telegram, the popular messaging app with over 40 million Iranian users, to tighten rules governing similar online services.
The new development comes after a protracted wrangle over the fate of Telegram and its foreign peers with enormous publicity given to local apps and a “departure to local services” agenda advocated by officials.
The Committee for Determining Instances of Criminal Content, a working group under the supervision of the attorney general, has laid down five terms Telegram and other foreign messaging apps must meet, ISNA reported.
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.