Iran's Supreme Council of Cyberspace has decided to lift access restrictions to messaging application WhatsApp and digital distribution service Google Play Store in the first step by the country to ease access to widely-used foreign platforms.
The council made the decision on Tuesday after the majority of its members voted for lifting those restrictions during a meeting chaired by President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’I were in attendance as well.
The meeting emphasized the importance of regulated governance over cyberspace, while stressing the need for supporting Iranian-developed internet platforms.
The session was the third by the Supreme Council of Cyberspace since Pezeshkian’s administration took office in late July.