Iran has ordered messaging app developers to move all Iranian users’ data to servers within Iran, reports Engadget. The government has provided a timeline of 1 year for developers to move the data to ‘ensure their continued activity.’ This move comes on the heels of various messaging apps introducing end to end encryption including WhatsApp and Viber last month. Other messaging apps like Telegram were built with encryption from ground up. Encryption makes it almost impossible for messages to be intercepted by anyone including the service provider, which makes it impossible for the provider to comply with government data requests. Having local servers somewhat circumvents this limitation as local data can be immediately accessed without having to worry about laws of the country where the data would otherwise be stored. However, such a law is ineffective at best. Most service providers don’t keep the encryption keys themselves, consequently the content of such data will still be technically hard to access, although it can still be deleted, or such servers can be seized. Additionally, users can use technologies like VPN, which offer easy and straightforward workarounds for anyone looking to circumvent country based blocks by service providers. Finally, even if such laws are brought into force, developers choose data centres based on high speed broadband networks, cheap power and cool climates; customer location is rarely relevant in this matter, and Iran is hardly the top choice for hosting data. Also read: The Ingenious Way Iranians Are Using Satellite TV to Beam…
