TEHRAN -- Messaging apps are the infrastructure needed for digital economy development, Communication and Information Technology Minister wrote in his Instagram account on Monday.

“However, the international banking system does not provide any opportunity for the Iranian market to be active in this field,” Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi lamented.

The replacement of Telegram, as the most popular messaging app in Iran, with Iranian messaging applications is being turned into a challenge on the national level.

The establishment of connection between financial technology and messaging apps is a great idea for boosting the national economy, the minister said.

Due to sanctions, Iran cannot take advantage from financial aspects of cyberspace. Even Telegram announced that Iranian citizens are prohibited from buying Gram cryptocurrency, he explained.

Telegram, with 40 million subscribers in Iran, is on top list of messaging applications in the country. Hundreds of people and companies in Iran use the app for their marketing and sales.

Azari Jahromi highlighted the importance of financial aspects of messaging app, which is neglected in Iran.

Using domestic messaging apps do not mean that we should be disconnected from the world, it means that we should take our share of the global market, he explained.

Messaging app vs. media 

Messaging applications and media are two separate issues, which are mingled in our country due to current condition; hence, some media limitations are imposed on messaging apps, he said.

He pointed to data security and privacy as important factors, which should be observed in cyberspace. 

“Our religion and laws highlight the importance of privacy,” he said.

The Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has stated that it would be haram for domestic social apps to trespass users’ personal space in his speech on Monday.

He suggested that government and judicial bodies should take care that people will not be victimized by social apps and that their personal information remain secure and private.

SB/MQ/MG