An Iranian newspaper displays a photo of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died in police custody. Photo: Reuters/ Majid Asgaripour

The US Treasury Department on Friday issued a revised license to expand web services available in Iran as part of an effort to help protesters circumvent censorship, as anti-regime demonstrations intensify.

As part of its efforts to crack down on protests in the wake of the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini — a 22-year old woman arrested by the regime’s “Morality Police” for allegedly wearing her hijab, or headscarf, improperly — the Iranian government on Wednesday cut off internet access for most citizens and restricted access to social media platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp.

“Today we are issuing a General License to advance our efforts and commitments to ensure that the Iranian people can freely access information online,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “This update modernizes the Treasury Department license to expand the free flow of information and access to fact-based information to people in Iran consistent with the new ways people use the Internet today, especially the common communication activities of Iranians and use of the digital services. These steps will help counter the Iranian government’s efforts to surveil and censor its citizens.”

The license authorizes the export of services and software designed to support Iranian protesters including virtual private networks (VPNs), instant messaging, and anti-tracking software. These services might otherwise be subject to US sanctions on Iran.

Among the technology US lawmakers have requested that the administration authorize is Elon Musk’s Starlink, which was notably used by the Ukrainian government in response to Russian efforts to cut Ukraine off from the internet.

“Activating Starlink…” Musk wrote Friday on Twitter in response to Blinken’s announcement.