Twitter has updated its policy to allow Iranian users to set-up two factor authentication with their phone numbers.
The change is due to effort by United for Iran, a nonprofit organization which uses technology to advance civil liberties in Iran, who petitioned Twitter to make that change.
The petition was signed by more than 12,000 people. The change in twitter policy gives Iranians the same level of account protection as it offers users in other nations.
Firuzeh Mahmoudi, executive director of United for Iran, praised Twitter’s policy update:
“We applaud Twitter for amending its policy to allow users in Iran to add their phone numbers to their accounts to set up two-factor authentication. By doing so, Twitter makes it harder for the Iranian regime to infiltrate activists accounts in its large-scale crackdown of protesters. This change demonstrates that Twitter is living up to its goals of advancing freedom of speech and expression, and because of this change, Iranian activists and users will be safer.”
United for Iran currently maintains the Iran Prison Atlas, a comprehensive tool documenting human rights violations by the Iranian government.
