Iran said it will start easing some of the world’s tightest internet restrictions by lifting its ban on WhatsApp and Google Play — a sign that authorities want to placate domestic opponents as the Islamic Republic faces major economic and foreign-policy challenges.

Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace on Dec 24 approved the lifting of blocks on certain widely used foreign platforms. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Iranian authorities have lifted a ban on Meta’s instant messaging platform WhatsApp and Google Play as a first step to scale back internet restrictions.

Many people reached by The Associated Press across the capital, Tehran, and other cities said they had access to the services on computers but not yet on mobile phones. WhatsApp has been the third most popular messaging platform in Iran after Instagram and Telegram.

The move has sparked a debate in Iran, with critics of the restrictions arguing the controls were costly for the country

The Supreme Cyberspace Council, which is tasked with safeguarding the internet for Iranian citizens, voted unanimously to lift restrictions on a number of foreign-owned applications during a meeting today,

In September the United States called on Big Tech to help evade online censorship in countries that heavily censor the internet, including Iran.