The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a statement on Monday March 19, 2018, to reaffirm its” commitment to fostering Internet freedom and supporting the Iranian people,”
Following is part of the statement from U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) :
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today highlighted existing guidance to underscore the U.S. Government’s ongoing commitment to ensure that the Iranian people can exercise their universal right to freedom of expression and can freely access information via the Internet. OFAC’s guidance, authorizations, and licensing policies support the Administration’s continued commitment to promote the free flow of information to citizens of Iran – which the Iranian regime has consistently denied to its people.
“The Iranian regime has demonstrated contempt for fundamental freedoms, such as expression, assembly, and association. By restricting access to satellite services, blocking access to social media sites and apps, and imposing other Internet restrictions, the regime seeks to impede the Iranian people from freely communicating with the outside world and with each other,” said Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin. “The Iranian people should be free to seek, receive, and impart information as they see fit. The United States is committed to empowering Iranians to engage with the world, express themselves, and hold the Iranian regime accountable for its actions.”
OFAC continues to foster and support the free flow of information to the Iranian people through the following authorizations and licensing policies:
General Licenses. OFAC has two Iran-related general licenses that authorize the provision of certain hardware, software, and services incident to the exchange of personal communications over the Internet, such as instant messaging, chat and email, and social networking software and services, as well as certain apps for mobile operating systems, anti-censorship tools, anti-tracking software, mobile phones, and other devices.
