Tehran Police have ordered all internet cafes to start recording the identity of their customers.
ISNA reports that Tehran Police announced on Tuesday that internet cafes must check their customers’ identity cards before offering them any services.
The cafes are also reportedly required to install closed-circuit cameras to record the faces of their customers.
The businesses were given 15 days to comply with the new regulations or they risk being reported to the judiciary.
The police announcement says the new regulations aim to “provide security for the users of internet café services and organizing them in order to reduce any possible harm and to protect the business owners of internet cafes.”
The Iranian government imposes heavy surveillance on Internet users and the content they view and it stringently censors internet content by blocking websites it deems inappropriate.
Tehran Police also announced that the use of VPNs and proxies that allow users to access blocked websites is prohibited.
The government is also trying to launch its own national internet to cut off Iranians from the World Wide Web.
