麻豆社

As protests in Iran show no sign of letting up a new report shows how the authorities in Iran can track and control protester phones.

An investigation by news organisation, The Intercept has found that internet and mobile phone coverage is being switched from a healthy 5G or 4G network to slow and clunky 2G coverage when protestors gather.

This means they can no longer communicate using encrypted messages or calls on their smartphones and instead have to rely on traditional phone calls or SMS messages which can be intercepted and understood easily. This, according to the report is being done by a web programme - SIAM.

One of the report's authors is Sam Biddle, a journalist specialising in the misuse of power in technology.

"It's no secret that the Iranian government exercises a great deal of control over communications networks in the country. People in Iran routinely complain about access to the broader global internet... or getting strange text messages after attending a protest."

(Photo: A sticker saying "Iran: The internet is down and they are killing the people" seen on the back of a road sign during a demonstration. Credit: Katherine Cheng via Getty Images)

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