Messaging Apps Must Store Data Within Iran’s Borders

With more and more governments requesting access to your private data, the lines between countries are becoming more defined in the digital world. With the revelation of schemes like PRISM offending Europe to a point where they began renegotiating a deal with the US to protect data regarding European citizens, more and more people are becoming wary of countries and the access their government wants to your “private” details that you send and store online. Iran has had enough with this issue; instead ordering any app that features the capability of messaging to store their data within the country.

This news comes at a time where sites like Twitter and Reddit are having to include warrant canaries as sites are forced to hand over users details but are unable to tell them who or what they have requested. With apps like Telegram, an instant messaging service that uses encryption to protect your messages from prying eyes, having around 20 million users within Iran (the rough population of which is 80 million), if the app decided to remove itself from the country there would be a noticeable difference.

If servers and data are located within the countries the data is used in, it’s easier to intercept or even seize information and the servers they are hosted on finding not only those dangerous to a country but also those who disagree with political or private groups within a country.

With more and more governments obtaining information that is considered personal and private, claiming that because it was sent online they have a right to access it for “security”, do you trust your government with all of your secrets?