Tech & Telecom Campaign

UANI launched its “Tech & Telecom Campaign” to highlight the practices of international firms that provide the Iranian regime with sensitive technology and telecommunications equipment that are used to restrict and monitor internet and cellphone services. The regime uses this technology to facilitate its suppression of the citizens of Iran.

This technology and specialized telecommunications equipment is a critical tool used by the Iranian regime to control its population and maintain its iron grip on power. And although such technology and equipment can have legitimate and legal purposes, the Iranian regime routinely abuses such technology for nefarious ends. Firms that provide such goods and services to Iran must therefore be held accountable and end their business in Iran.

Firms that provide this technology and telecommunications equipment are also liable to be penalized under U.S. sanctions law. Section 106 of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions Accountability and Divestment Act of 2010 (CISADA) specifically calls on the U.S. to ban “procurement of goods or services with a person that exports sensitive technology to Iran.” CISADA defines sensitive technology as “hardware, software, telecommunications equipment, or any other technology” that is used to “(A) to restrict the free flow of unbiased information in Iran; or (B) to disrupt, monitor, or otherwise restrict speech of the people of Iran.”

In October 2011, both The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News released detailed reports on telecommunication companies that have provided the Iranian regime advanced technology to track and monitor dissidents as well as block services.

Through the Tech & Telecom Campaign, UANI seeks to ensure that these companies either take the responsible action and end their business in Iran or be held accountable under U.S. sanction law.

Campaigns

	Launched a campaign calling on Chinese telecom giant ZTE to cease its business in Iran as part of UANI's Tech & Telecom Campaign. As part of a $130.6 million contract signed in December 2010, ZTE sold an advanced surveillance system to the IRGC-owned Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI) that enables the Iranian regime to monitor the voice, text messaging and internet communications of its citizens. TCI possesses a near monopoly on landline telephone services and internet traffic in the country.
	Launched a campaign calling on South African telecom giant MTN to cease its business in Iran as part of UANI's launch of its Tech & Telecom Campaign. MTN is a 49% shareholder of MTN Irancell, the second largest mobile phone network operator in Iran. The majority 51% is in turn owned by the Iranian regime, which has exploited the MTN Irancell network and technology to monitor and track the activities and communications of peaceful dissidents in Iran.
	Launched a campaign calling on Chinese telecom giant Huawei to cease its business in Iran or face U.S. sanctions. Reports indicate that Huawei's telecommunications technology has been used by the Iranian regime to conduct surveillance on its citizens, and track down human rights activists and dissidents. Following discussions with UANI, Huawei announced that it would stop seeking new business in Iran and limit existing business. UANI applauded Huawei's decision but continues to call for a full pullout from Iran.
	Launched a campaign calling on Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), a joint venture between Nokia of Finland and Siemens of Germany, to cease its business in Iran or face U.S. sanctions. In the brutal crackdown that followed Iran’s disputed June 2009 presidential elections, NSN technology was used to suppress protesters by monitoring and blocking communications. Due to widespread public condemnation, NSN stopped work on its "monitoring centers" in Iran but continued to do business in the country. Following Huawei’s decision to pull back, NSN announced it would not take on any new business in Iran and would gradually reduce its existing commitments. UANI applauded NSN’s decision but continues to call for a full NSN and Nokia pullout from Iran.
	Swedish telecom giant Ericsson provided a mobile-positioning center to Iran in 2009 that can be used to track cellphone users and the company bid on other contracts in 2010. Ericsson continues to maintain the center but in October 2010 stated it would no longer sell any products in Iran due to tightening sanctions.
	In 2011, London-based Creativity Software provided Iran with a location-tracking system that can track a target’s movement every 15 seconds and plot the locations on a map. Creativity employees were concerned about selling such technology to Iran, knowing how easily it could be abused for illicit purposes.
	In 2008, Dublin-based AdaptiveMobile sold technology to Iran that filters, blocks and stores text messages. Text message monitoring was required by Iranian security forces. The company has sought further contracts but has said that it plans to cease doing business in Iran when its contract ends in 2012 because of the reputational harm of doing such business in Iran.
	The French satellite provider Eutelsat hosts the broadcasts of Iranian state-owned Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) as well as the regime's foreign-language channels, such as English-language PressTV and the Arabic Al-Alam. At the same time, Eutelsat has accepted the regime's illegal jamming tactics by limiting its broadcasting of BBC Persian and VOA Persian.
	The British telecommunications company Arqiva facilitates the broadcasts of Iranian state-owned Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) as well as the regime's foreign-language channels, such as English-language PressTV and the Arabic Al-Alam. At the same time, the regime is illegally jamming the broadcasts of BBC Persian and VOA Persian.