Iran is facing unprecedented sanctions, but essential services like free email accounts have long been exempt from the sanctions*. Instead of continuing to provide millions of Iranian users with email services–Yahoo has decided to shut off the ability for people in Iran to create new accounts.

Given that 63% of Iranians use Yahoo as their primary service provider this is a huge problem*. This unnecessary move by Yahoo to limit access may force many Iranians to use insecure and less-stable government Internet communications services–essentially the local equivalent of an NSA-run email service.

We know our voices matter to Yahoo because Yahoo executives have been responsive to these kinds of campaigns before. Last year, after a prolonged campaign, Yahoo agreed to turn on HTTPS encryption by default, which made its email service far more secure for everyone. Can you add your name to the petition urging Yahoo CEO, Marissa Mayer, to ensure that people in Iran can create email accounts? *General License D-1 provides authorization for communication services such as free email. *Yahoo leads the email market in Iran, The Iran Project, January 2013 Click here to sign the letter.