US sanctions Iranian firm for helping government censor internet

By FATIMA HUSSEIN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has imposed sanctions on an Iran-based technology firm for its role in facilitating the Iranian government’s censorship of the internet as anti-government protests swept the country. Internet disruptions were instituted after homegrown anger over the September death of Masha Amini, an Iranian-Kurdish woman detained by the country’s morality police, led to large-scale protests. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control says a firm known as Arvan Cloud agreed to provide interception for the government, allowing Iranian authorities to control and censor incoming and outgoing traffic and surveil data on the servers. The firm also agreed to block websites.