Safety

If you are reading this from inside Iran, read this page before you do anything else here.

We are an Iranian monarchist collective. We state that openly because it is true. The Islamic Republic treats material from groups it sees as opposition as a serious matter. We would rather you understand that clearly than be unsafe.

The consequences are not theoretical.

What this means in practice

Inside Iran, software published by a group like ours can itself be treated as evidence of political activity. We cannot predict what that means in your exact case. We can tell you that the risk is real.

Using what we publish is your decision. If you do it, treat it as a political act and plan accordingly.

Before you download anything

• Reach the site safely. Our domain may be blocked inside Iran. Use Tor, a VPN you trust, or a friend abroad. Do not rely on regime-approved VPNs.
• Download to a device you control. Do not download our software to a work computer, a shared family device, or any device that is not yours.
• Consider where you are. Do not download from a network or place where you would not want a record of the connection.
• Verify what you downloaded. Each released project publishes signatures alongside its release artifacts. Verify them before installing. Keys are on the project page and on Security.

Before you install or use anything

• Read the project’s threat model. Each project publishes one. It tells you what the project does and does not protect you from.
• Use full-disk encryption. This is the single most useful step you can take, independent of anything we publish. If your device is taken, encryption is what stands between someone and everything on it.
• Keep our software with the rest of your everyday software. Do not hide it in a way that looks like hiding. A normal application in a normal folder is less suspicious than one disguised as something else.
• Be careful about what you leave on screen. Most consequences come not from the software itself but from what is visible on your device when someone is watching.
• Do not tell people you cannot afford to tell. This is not ideology. It is judgement about who in your life can be trusted with what is on your device.

If you are stopped, detained, or your device is examined

We cannot give legal advice. The following is general guidance from public sources.

• You are not required to assist beyond what can be compelled. Know what is compelled in your jurisdiction before you are in that room.
• If you are asked to unlock a device, what you say and do matters more than what software is installed. Speak to a competent lawyer before you ever need one.
• Situations differ. We are not telling you what to say. We are telling you that context changes outcomes.

If something has happened to you because of software we published, write to us at Artaxshathra@proton.me. We cannot intervene in your jurisdiction. We can listen, correct anything we got wrong, and warn others.

What we owe you

We owe you honesty about who we are. We owe you software built for people who have something to lose. We owe you plain language about the risk.

We cannot give you a guarantee of safety. Free software cannot do that. Neither can we.

What you owe nobody

You do not owe anyone an explanation of what is on your device. You do not owe us your use. If you decide the risk is too high, that is the right decision for you.

This page is part of the public record of what the collective is and how it speaks to the people it builds for. If you have specific suggestions for how to make it more useful to readers in Iran, write to Artaxshathra@proton.me.