Developed in response to Internet censorship in Iran, it was created by NetFreedom Pioneers, a California-based nonprofit organization,[2] and launched by Executive Director (and tech entrepreneur) Mehdi Yahyanejad[3] in 2015.
As a data transfer technology, it distributes content that would otherwise be inaccessible to those who have limited or no internet access due to censorship, high cost, living in a remote location, government-backed shutdowns, or unreliable technical infrastructure.
In a HuffPost Q&A, Toosheh reported that the content “contains an array of resources and entertainment that most web users take for granted, such as daily news, films and TV series, music videos, podcasts, e-books, and the most recent software for computer and mobile devices....The packages have also been delivering carefully prepared and translated resources for promoting the rights and well-being of women and LGBTQIA individuals in Iran.”[5] Other sources confirm this variety of distributed content.
[4] Toosheh website advertises its partnerships with nonprofit and civil society organizations who create educational and community resources to be distributed to audiences they otherwise couldn’t reach without a way to bypass Iranian censors.
These organizations and other partnering institutions as described by its website, include BBC Persia, Macholand –dedicated to reducing discrimination in Iran- and Jensiat –an illustration-based educational source for sexual and digital safety.
Other content transmitted includes circumvention tools, video games, DIY tutorials, and requests from Toosheh users such as music from pre-revolution Iran.
[11] During the protests, Toosheh’s umbrella organization, NetFreedom Pioneers, issued a Call To Action asking volunteer to collect informative sources and content to send to its audiences.