Farez Iranian antivirus; More security or a new method of filtering and restrictions?

Farz Iranian antivirus for mobile phones was unveiled by FATA police. But is this antivirus supposed to increase the security of people’s phones or is it a new method of filtering and restrictions in Iran?

Over the past few days, some of the technology news focus has been on antivirus and the new Farz system. The information and talk published about it has created worries and concerns in people’s minds. In the following, we will introduce this new system and examine it from all angles.

Yesterday, the head of Faraja production and information exchange space (FATA) unveiled a new system called Faraz Antivirus. According to the introduction of this system, Farez Antivirus can decide whether the mentioned program is malicious or not by checking all the applications in the person’s mobile phone. In fact, this antivirus will be like a filter in your smartphone, which is responsible for deciding whether or not a program is available.

One of the factors that cause various speculations about this system is that during the interviews and announcements of the FATA police or related bodies, it is not yet clear what features an application must have in order to be recognized as malware by this system. On the other hand, the fact that the FATA police has sent the proposal to the parliament to require the installation of this antivirus on all smartphones has fueled these speculations.

Prediction of people’s performance in the requirement to install Farz antivirus on all phones; Mistrust is rampant

The requirement to install farz antivirus is another example that makes experts smell the danger lurking. In a country where about 10% of smartphones are smuggled into the country and there is no information about these phones in the registration systems, how can it be required to install antivirus in all these phones? On the other hand, the high cost of hiring a worker to install Farz antivirus on all smartphones available in the stores does not convince any seller to do this.

The people themselves will definitely not welcome this system very well. The history of using Iranian platforms and getting into huge problems with these platforms has made people no longer trust the leaders of Iran’s digital space. In a country that does not have a correct and up-to-date database for even the simplest information, these systems cannot be well received.

Another cause of this lack of trust can be considered the lack of transparency and structured law for using this system.

Farz, a clear example of another error?

Farz, like its similar example, the filtering plan, will most likely face the opposition of the people. The effects of filtering, which have forced people to pay for filter breakers, have put them in front of the representatives who have been forced to propose the sale of filter breakers to the Ministry of Communications in order to cut off the high profit from the sale of filter breakers.

As various statistics show the presence of Iranians on filtered platforms, it can be said that filtering is a failed plan in the eyes of the people, which has only created a market of brokers and huge profiteers from these costs. It is said that about 80 percent of Internet users use filter breakers to enter different social networks. With the continuation of this filtering process, only the pockets of brokers will be filled and the people will not get any benefit. In only one example, the financial turnover of filter breakers in 1401 is estimated at 25 to 30 billion tomans.

In the continuation of this emptying of people’s pockets and the filling of brokers’ bowls, people again witnessed, most likely, one of these types of filtering systems. A system that has been able to create so much concern in the minds of Internet users at the beginning of its work, most likely will not have a bright and popular future.