Activate the Android Earthquake Alerts System for Iran
The Issue
To: Google LLC & the U.S. Department of the Treasury (OFAC)
Subject: Activate Android Earthquake Alerts for Iran — A Humanitarian Imperative With No Legal Barrier
Iran sits at the intersection of three major tectonic plates, making it one of the most seismically dangerous countries on Earth. History bears witness: Bam 2003 (26,000 deaths), Manjil 1990 (40,000 deaths), Tabas 1978 (25,000 deaths). These are not statistics — they are communities erased.
The Android Earthquake Alerts System (AEA) is today active in 98 countries, providing millions of people precious seconds of warning before destructive seismic waves arrive. Those seconds save lives. Yet Iran — one of the world's most earthquake-vulnerable nations — remains excluded.
This exclusion is not legally required.
In September 2022, OFAC issued General License D-2, which explicitly authorizes U.S. technology companies to provide software and internet-based services to Iranian users, including cloud-based platforms, web maps, and user authentication services. (Nature) General License D-2 authorizes the export of personal communications software, applications, and related services to Iranian users without requiring individual OFAC approval. (Copernicus)
The Android Earthquake Alert System is a free, passive, public-safety notification service. It collects no personal data beyond coarse location. It has no commercial component. It serves no government entity. It fits squarely within the humanitarian and communications exemptions already enshrined in U.S. sanctions law.
We therefore call on:
Google LLC to activate the Android Earthquake Alerts System for Iran under the existing authorization of OFAC General License D-2, as it has done for 98 other countries — including nations with comparable or greater geopolitical complexity.
OFAC / U.S. Department of the Treasury to confirm publicly that the AEA system for Iran is authorized under GL D-2, or alternatively to issue a specific clarifying license under 31 CFR Part 560, removing any ambiguity that may be causing Google's inaction.
This request costs nothing. It requires no financial transaction, no transfer of restricted technology, and no engagement with the Iranian government. It is a software switch — one that could send a warning to a mother in Tehran, a child in Tabriz, a family in Kerman, seconds before the ground begins to shake.
Since its launch, the AEA system has expanded access to earthquake early warning from 250 million people in 2019 to over 2.5 billion people by 2025. (Ut) Iran's 88 million people deserve to be among them.
Every signature on this petition is a message to Google and OFAC: the legal path is clear. The moral obligation is undeniable. Act no
183
The Issue
To: Google LLC & the U.S. Department of the Treasury (OFAC)
Subject: Activate Android Earthquake Alerts for Iran — A Humanitarian Imperative With No Legal Barrier
Iran sits at the intersection of three major tectonic plates, making it one of the most seismically dangerous countries on Earth. History bears witness: Bam 2003 (26,000 deaths), Manjil 1990 (40,000 deaths), Tabas 1978 (25,000 deaths). These are not statistics — they are communities erased.
The Android Earthquake Alerts System (AEA) is today active in 98 countries, providing millions of people precious seconds of warning before destructive seismic waves arrive. Those seconds save lives. Yet Iran — one of the world's most earthquake-vulnerable nations — remains excluded.
This exclusion is not legally required.
In September 2022, OFAC issued General License D-2, which explicitly authorizes U.S. technology companies to provide software and internet-based services to Iranian users, including cloud-based platforms, web maps, and user authentication services. (Nature) General License D-2 authorizes the export of personal communications software, applications, and related services to Iranian users without requiring individual OFAC approval. (Copernicus)
The Android Earthquake Alert System is a free, passive, public-safety notification service. It collects no personal data beyond coarse location. It has no commercial component. It serves no government entity. It fits squarely within the humanitarian and communications exemptions already enshrined in U.S. sanctions law.
We therefore call on:
Google LLC to activate the Android Earthquake Alerts System for Iran under the existing authorization of OFAC General License D-2, as it has done for 98 other countries — including nations with comparable or greater geopolitical complexity.
OFAC / U.S. Department of the Treasury to confirm publicly that the AEA system for Iran is authorized under GL D-2, or alternatively to issue a specific clarifying license under 31 CFR Part 560, removing any ambiguity that may be causing Google's inaction.
This request costs nothing. It requires no financial transaction, no transfer of restricted technology, and no engagement with the Iranian government. It is a software switch — one that could send a warning to a mother in Tehran, a child in Tabriz, a family in Kerman, seconds before the ground begins to shake.
Since its launch, the AEA system has expanded access to earthquake early warning from 250 million people in 2019 to over 2.5 billion people by 2025. (Ut) Iran's 88 million people deserve to be among them.
Every signature on this petition is a message to Google and OFAC: the legal path is clear. The moral obligation is undeniable. Act no
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Petition created on June 27, 2026