Google's forbidden fruit to Iranians

The photo that is used by the online petition inviting Google to provide its services to Iranians

By: Houman Kabiri Parvizi

Mobile Editor

Computer and Communications World Magazine
Persian version is available via this link


On Tuesday 28 FEB, 2012 and during the Q&A session after Google’s executive chairman, Eric Schmidt,  key notes at the mobile world congress in Barcelona, an Iranian journalist, Hessam Armandehi, asked Schmidt: “Why Google has limited its services to Iranian users?” and whether it would lift blocks on the company’s services in Iran.
Schmidt who seemed was not aware of those limitations, consulted the company’s lawyer off-stage and answered: “limitations were part of the laws in the US, apologizing for Google’s inability to act differently.”

Is that true?

The act that Schmidt and Google’s lawyers are referring to is: “IRANIAN TRANSACTIONS REGULATIONS” (31 C.F.R. PART 560) which is stating that:

“Except as otherwise authorized pursuant to this part, [….] the exportation, reexportation, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States, or by a United States person, wherever located, of any goods, technology, or services to Iran or the Government of Iran is prohibited, including the exportation, reexportation, sale, or supply of any goods, technology, or services to a person in a third country […] is prohibited.”

As it stated in this regulation there are some exceptions: “Except as otherwise authorized pursuant to this part”. Some authorizations have been made by the US government so far. For instance on 8th March 2010, The US Department of Treasury eased sanctions on Iran, Cuba and Sudan to allow exports by US companies of services related to Web browsing, blogging, email, instant messaging, chat, social networking and photo- and movie-sharing.

According to the amendment:

“The new general licenses authorize exports from the United States or by U.S. persons to persons in Iran and Sudan of services and software related to the exchange of personal communications over the Internet, including web browsing, blogging, email, instant messaging, and chat; social networking; and photo and movie sharing. Today's amendments also provide that specific licenses may be issued on a case-by-case basis for the exportation of services and software used to share information over the Internet that not covered by the general licenses.”

However, the amendment limits this allowance to free software only:

“To qualify for these authorizations, such services and software must be publicly available at no cost to the user.”

Nearly one year after this amendment, on 19 January 2011, Google made three products available to Iranian users (Google Earth, Picasa and Chrome) and not surprisingly added Chrome extensions to the allowed list right after Schmidt’s speech at Barcelona on 28 Feb 2012.


Which Google’s products and services are not available to Iranians?
There are plenty of Google products and services which are not available in Iran including Android Market ( Now part of Google Play), Google Chrome (OS), Google Mobile and Google Lab as well as some of the advertising services such as Google Adwords and Google Adsense. Recently an online petition by Iranian users titled: “Don’t be Evil, let Iranians use your software!” invited Google to lift those limitations on Iranian users. The petition has been signed by more than 5000 people so far.

The focus of the petition is on Android market and Chrome extensions which the last one has been made available as of 28^th February 2012.

Why Google is not providing more products and services to Iranians?

Android is the most popular smartphone operating system in the world which is being developed and distributed by Google. Along with the Android, the supplementary service which is providing myriad applications to the users is running by Google as well: The Android Market. As of February 2012, Android Market has 450000 applications which nearly 70% of them are free to download. Also, Majority of applications in the Android Market are related to the exchange of personal communications over the Internet, including web browsing, blogging, email, instant messaging, and chat; social networking; and photo and movie sharing which are allowed to be exported to Iran according to the latest amendment by the US Department of Treasury. In addition Google can provide even more services and products by seeking specific licenses according to the amendment.
Despite Schmidt’s argument pinpointing the US regulations as the cause for those limitations, those numbers and facts are leading to some obstacles that might be the reason for Google’s restricting strategy against Iranian users.
In order to provide access to those free applications from Android Market Google needs a department to review all of the applications and check the compatibility with the US department of treasury requirements mentioned in the amendment. On the other hand, Google cannot earn anything from Iran because it does not have any source of income in Iran. More than 96% of Google’s earnings come from advertising which is not allowed in Iran according to the US sanction regulations. So when there is not any incentive, why should the company spend lots of money for a department to review more than 300000 applications and monitor the new applications for those requirements?
So it seems the US regulation is just an excuse for not providing products and services to Iranians by Google. The reason behind this decision would be this fact that Google cannot earn anything, even 1$, in return. However, it is not really good answer in a press conference Q&A session! Is it?