Two brothers based in the UK are behind a messaging app accused by digital rights groups of sharing user data with Iranian authorities, the Guardian reported on Friday.
Hadi and Mahdi Anjidani are co-founders of TS Information Technology, a UK-registered branch of Iranian software firm Towse’e Saman Information Technology (TSIT), which develops Gap Messenger — a domestic Iranian alternative to Telegram. The company is registered at an address in West Sussex.
While Gap Messenger claims its service is encrypted and does not share data with third parties, Iranian digital rights researchers dispute this. FilterWatch, which monitors internet censorship in Iran, has accused the app of being among entities involved in the state’s online surveillance and suppression efforts, citing leaked emails from Iran’s attorney general’s office in 2022.
Mahdi Anjidani, TSIT’s chief executive, has publicly expressed pro-government views in Iranian media and has called for tighter controls on foreign messaging apps and VPNs. The Guardian said neither brother responded to requests for comment.
Gap Messenger operates within Iran’s state-controlled “national internet”, which authorities have promoted during repeated internet shutdowns amid crackdowns on protests, according to digital rights experts.
In Iran, Mahdi Anjidani has appeared in state and tech media, describing himself as a “child of the Islamic Revolution” and praising Iran’s leadership for overcoming sanctions. His social media accounts show meetings with senior figures, including former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iranian digital rights researchers cited by the Guardian said the scale and scope of the brothers’ business interests suggest close ties to the authorities, adding that permission to operate domestic messaging platforms in Iran is limited to a small circle with strong political backing.
