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Knowledge, Topic sheet

Communication and the internet

· Helfen statt Blockieren editorial team

The internet shows especially clearly that blocks come from two directions: providers exclude users from sanctioned countries, and governments censor themselves. For Iran the US therefore created licences meant to facilitate communication.

What is blocked

  • Cuba: Over 320 platforms and products are blocked for users in Cuba, according to information given to Douhan1.
  • Iran, Syria, Crimea: in 2019 GitHub restricted accounts from these areas to comply with US trade rules2.

What is expressly allowed

  • Iran: US General License D-2 of 23 September 2022 authorises social media, video conferencing, cloud services, VPNs and anti-censorship software3.
  • US and Cuba: exportation, importation and transmission of informational materials are an authorised category4.

What still does not arrive

  • Even with a licence, providers decide whether to admit users from a country. GitHub needed a separate licence for Iran and was still seeking one for other areas2.

Documented examples

  • CubaFreedom House finds for 2026 that the authorities censored and punished online dissent and blocked independent news sites5.
  • IranThe US Treasury justified License D-2 with the free flow of information for the Iranian people3.

Counterpoints: why states impose sanctions

  • Freedom House does not mention sanctions as a reason for Cuba’s poor 2026 rating; state control is decisive5.
  • Caution with figures: the Special Rapporteur reports the figure of 320 blocked offers as information presented to her; we have no independent count1.

Figures marked “according to information given to” are not the cited body’s own measurements but information presented to it.

This page is information, not legal advice. It reports what authorities, courts, governments and organisations decide and say; the views of the side imposing measures and of the side affected stand side by side. “Helfen statt Blockieren” is non-partisan. Please report errors to info@aciel-martinez-poll.com.

Sources

  1. OHCHR, Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan, Preliminary findings of the visit to Cuba, end of mission statement, 11 to 21 November 2025, 21 Nov 2025. Many figures there are marked “reportedly”, i.e. based on information presented to her. https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2133521/20251121-eom-stm-cuba-sr-negative-impact-unilateral-en.pdf
  2. The Register, Report on the US licence for GitHub in Iran, 5 Jan 2021. https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/05/github_iran_block/
  3. US Treasury, “U.S. Treasury Issues Iran General License D-2 to Increase Support for Internet Freedom”, 23 Sep 2022. https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USTREAS/bulletins/32e8e10
  4. 31 CFR § 515.560, text at Cornell LII, “Travel-related transactions to, from, and within Cuba by persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction”, 3 Nov 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/31/515.560
  5. Freedom House, “Cuba: Freedom on the Net 2026”, 3 Nov 2026. https://freedomhouse.org/country/cuba/freedom-net/2026

All online sources accessed on 3 November 2026.

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