Sanctions at the Gateway: The Unseen Human Rights Costs of U.S. Policy in Iran

Abstract

In Iran, practicing digital rights involves contending with layers of regulation and constraint. Alongside domestic measures that influence online practices, another force compounds the pressures faced by Internet users, which is U.S. sanctions. This thesis investigates how U.S. sanctions affect Internet freedoms in Iran in interaction with existing regulatory dynamics. Originally, these sanctions were designed to target the Iranian state, but in practice, their impact extends to different aspects of ordinary people’s lives, including access to tools needed to bypass Internet restrictions and practice their digital rights.

Drawing on eight expert interviews and analyzed through the Cyber Justice framework, the study introduces the concept of Layered Digital Marginalization to explain how multiple barriers collectively constrain freedom of expression, access to information, and privacy. Despite efforts to mitigate civilian harm, findings of this study suggest that ambiguities in policy, corporate over-compliance, and a lack of responsiveness to users’ lived experiences continue to restrict meaningful digital engagement.

The study recommends that sanctions policies and digital governance frameworks be restructured to prioritize the lived realities of users and safeguard digital rights through inclusive, human-centered approaches.