Signalling a possible shift in internet policy, Iran has lifted its ban on Meta's instant messaging platform WhatsApp and Google Play. This is being seen as the first step to scale back internet restrictions. WhatsApp has been the third most popular messaging platform in Iran after Instagram and Telegram.According to AFP, Iran’s top council, responsible for safeguarding the internet, voted to lift the ban on WhatsApp and Google Play, reported AFP."A positive majority vote has been reached to lift limitations on access to some popular foreign platforms such as WhatsApp and Google Play", Iran's official IRNA news agency said on Tuesday, referring to a meeting on the matter headed by President Masoud Pezeshkian."Today the first step in removing internet limitations... has been taken," IRNA cited Iran's Minister of Information and Communications Technology Sattar Hashemi as saying.When the decision will come into force is yet to be known. Iran is known for having some of the strictest internet rules across the world. Further, the Iranian authorities have blocked access to US-based social media applications such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.However, the blocks are routinely bypassed by Iranians using virtual private networks, according to Reuters. Further, social media platforms have been widely used for anti-government protests in Iran.The ban on WhatsApp and Google Play was put in place in 2022 during mass protests against the government over the death of a woman held by the country's morality police for allegedly violating the strictly enforced dress code.The protests calmed in 2023 after a crackdown by police and security forces that led to the death of hundreds of people and the imprisonment of thousands.