Tehran, Jan. 16 -- Tightening its chokehold on internet connectivity, Iran has moved into enacting what digital rights activists describe as the final phase of its sweeping, nationwide curbs on internet access, and place the country's entire communications infrastructure under total state control, according to the advocacy group Filterban.
In a report released on Thursday, Filterban said the authorities were working to transform internet access from a public utility into a form of state-granted privilege, available only to users with high-level security clearance. The shift, it warned, would effectively sever most Iranians from the open internet.
"This is the transition to a communications black hole," the group said, describing a system ...