Filterwatch

With the Iranian elections over, and President Hassan Rouhani surging to victory once more, we bounce off our last episode and look back at Rouhani and his main competitor Ebrahim Raeisi’s campaigns. Joined by Small Media’s Research Manager James Marchant, we’ll look at the declining role of Twitter in Iranian’s online lives, the changing relationship between conservatives and social media and discuss if we really think Rouhani’s huge mandate will result in greater online freedom.

Producer and host: Mo Hoseini

Guest: James Marchant

Music by Longzijun

Iran’s Presidential Election is fast approaching, but what role does social media and the internet play in it? In this month’s episode we take a look at President Rouhani’s achievements in the ICT sector since he was first elected in 2013, and the role of social media and the internet on Iran’s upcoming elections in May. To discuss these issues, we’re joined by Amir Rashidi, an internet security researcher at the Center for Human Rights in Iran.

To discuss these topics I will be joined by Amir Rashidi, an internet security researcher at the Center for Human Rights in Iran.

Producer and host: Mo Hoseini

Guest: Amir Rashidi

Editorial Advisor: James Marchant

Music by Longzijun

In this month’s episode we look back on Iran’s National Information Network, provide an overview of its development history, and ask what the implications of the network are for internet freedom in Iran. To discuss SHOMA, we’re joined by Simin Kargar, research fellow at the Berkman Klein Centre for Internet and Society.

Producer and host: Mo Hoseini

Guest: Simin Kargar

Editorial Advisor: James Marchant

Music by Longzijun

On this month’s show, we’ll discuss Iran’s recently announced ICT budget. We’ll also speak to Kaveh Azarhoosh, an internet policy researcher and graduate student at Oxford Internet Institute.

Producer and host: Mo Hoseini

Guest: Kaveh Azarhoosh

Editorial Advisor: James Marchant

Music by Longzijun

This month's show is the last episode of the first season of Filterwatch, and Kyle's last episode as host. In about 2 month's will begin season 2, with producer Mo taking over hosting duties. To prepare for the transition, this month's show features a conversation between Kyle and Mo about some broad trends in Iranian politics and Internet policy, including topics such as Iran's national internet, foreign investment in Iran's ICT Market, and Rouhani's chances for reelection.

Producer: Mo Hoseini

Host: Kyle Bowen

Editorial Advisor: James Marchant

Music by Longzijun

Last month, the Iranian government announced that phase 1 of its national information network has been completed. But what does that actually mean for internet users in Iran? Will this really lead to Iranians being cut off from the global internet? In today’s show, I’ll put these questions and more to a technology reporter with BBC Persian, who will give us his take on what the future holds for Iran’s national internet.

Producer: Mo Hoseini

Host: Kyle Bowen

Guest: Behrang Tajdin

Editorial Advisor: James Marchant

Music by Longzijun

This month, we’ll be speaking with the independent researcher Collin Anderson to discuss a breach of the messaging app Telegram that took place earlier this year, which saw hackers expose the phone numbers of more than 15 million Iranian users. Also this month, we’ll highlight some of the latest incidences of app censorship, along with yet another major breach of Iranian users’ data from mobile operator Irancell.

Producer: Mo Hoseini

Host: Kyle Bowen

Guest: Collin Anderson

Editorial Advisor: James Marchant

Music by Longzijun

Special edition! This month, we take a break from Iranian internet policy to bring you a live report from the Citizen Lab Summer Institute in Toronto. We caught up with Citizen Lab director Ron Deibert, and asked him about the history of the Citizen Lab, his thoughts on censorship, and some of the challenges he faces in his work. Check out the interview below.

Producer: Mo Hoseini

Host: Kyle Bowen

Guest: Ron Deibert

Editorial Advisor: James Marchant

Music by Longzijun

The recently implemented nuclear deal brought an end to the UN sanctions against Iran. But many US sanctions against the Islamic Republic remain in place. On today’s show, we’ll take about the legacy of sanctions, and how they continue to impact the accessibility of online services in Iran.

Producer: Mo Hoseini

Host: Kyle Bowen

Guest: Rishab Nithyanand

Editorial Advisor: James Marchant

Music by Longzijun

On this month's show, we’ll talk about a recent report published by Small Media and ICLab which aimed to test whether and by what method certain websites were blocked in Iran. We’ll speak to PhD candidate Abbas Razaghpanah, who led the technical research on the report, about some of the findings and what they mean.

Producer: Mo Hoseini

Host: Kyle Bowen

Guest: Abbas Razaghpanah

Editorial Advisor: James Marchant

Music by Longzijun