In sponsor page, ArvanCloud is introduced as a cloud service that is providing some services for Manjaro.
As you might have heard, this company has been one of the main infrastructures in Iran that helps Republic Islamic to impose internet censorship and filtering and tracking the protesters and oppositions.
Of course, they reject the claim, but please keep yourself updated. It seems more news are coming which supports this, and if that’s true, please reconsider cooperation with them.
Thanks
“Some service” xD They just provide a mirror. And please stop this dumb politic ■■■■■■■■ here on the forum. Please inform yourself about the Iran, the coup on year 1953 and its consequences. Then you understand why it is that way today. Learn from history.
Avoiding a company only because it is supposed to enable better censorship is really stupid. Where is the presumption of innocence? This reminds again of the zeitgeist of the cancel culture. 
Better look at the US and what its military and intelligence agencies are doing in Iran and Ukraine. I think we should stop cooperation with all American services (Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc.). 
Any topics likely to cause controversy (a couple of common examples are politics & sports) are generally discouraged and will be monitored closely. Action may be taken if they become uncivil or the conversation degenerates to personal attacks.
What does the coup and what US has done in Iran in the past has anything to do with what a manjaro “Sponsor” is doing now in Iran? If the allegations are true, ArvanCloud is indirectly responsible for the suppression of the Iranian protestors right now. Manjaro, should act responsibly and denounce ArvanCloud as a sponsor.
In 2021, Arvan engaged in a contract with Ministry of ICT of Iran on Iran Cloud project. The project is set to deploy National Information Network, a network that allows the Iranian government to cut off Iranian users’ access to the internet and provide them only domestic networks.[21] Abr Arvan’s Public Relations Manager has denied the company’s involvement in the Internet nationalization or restriction project.[22]
Abr Arvan - Wikipedia
We checked with our contacts and were pointed to their official statement to this current ongoing topic: https://news.arvancloud.com/en/arvancloud-response-to-three-german-news-outlets/
Just a question ??
What do you lose or gain if Manjaro denounces or not… a sponsor ??
I can only see that Manjaro will lose a sponsor 
…
And as Megavolt said
In my opinion we should help each other, solve software problems and elevate our linux knowledge here on the forum, not talk politics and similar topics.
Cheers…
As mentioned already: Inform yourself. If your are not intelligent enough and ride on the social wave, keep in mind that all claims are just rumors sells as presumably facts.
So your idea of “intelligence” is that everyone should come to the same conclusion as you have? I’m sorry, but I can’t. The rumors are rumors until they’re proven correct or wrong. Regardless of what the outcome of that on-going investigation will be, I believe it’s irresponsible if one just waves their hands and claim all the allegations are mere rumors. I’m not a journalist nor have the time to personally dig into the story and analyze it from every possible aspect. But I firmly believe, as a user, I have a responsibility to hold the corporations accountable for what they do. And that’s all OP of the post has asked. To have an eye open and follow the story.
Look, I don’t gain or lose anything. Manjaro looses respect (from me and people alike) if they turn a blind eye to what might be a big story. For you it all might boiled down to the question “How smooth and bug free my system runs” or sth similar. But for some people in Iran, it’s their lives which are at stakes. You can’t deny that. You can’t just say we don’t talk politics and then finance your operation by an alleged dictator backer. Politics and business are sadly so intertwined that none can exist without the other.
I can only hope that Manjaro keeps all the options open and follow the story closely.
Cheers
No, that is not what I am saying.
I remember myself how the mainstream media handle rumors (in other words conspiracy theories): “They are true until the opposite is proven.” And if it not true, then it gets a little side note, almost non-visble to the public, but what remain is the bad image what people have, even everything is a lie.
In fact in Germany so called journalists are today no more journalists, but rather activists. A journalist would reflect both sides in a balanced view, that is in my view mostly NOT the case. Especially in the articles about ArvanCloud and the official statement of ArvanCloud also say, that none talked with them.
Yeah that view is really old. In one sentence: “Burn them on the stake!” I guess if you would live in these days, you would also one of the people who holding forks and torches. 
Erm… no. You started to be personal: “But I firmly believe, as a user, …” and I just answer on the same level.
Anyway… that thread goes to political nonsense. And is not worthy to stay open…
I have graduated from Kindergarten long time ago. I’m not gonna get engaged with you in the game of “who said what when”. You clearly lack judgment on some vital levels.
I like using Manjaro and I hope I wouldn’t have to stop using it. We will see how the story unfolds.
Peace
1st. Manjaro is not a newsletter agency its a linux distro.
2nd. You are saying if Manjaro does not have the same political views as you or people like you, you will
leave ?? or smear them… ?? 
– looses respect can be interpreted in so many ways…
Yes, this is true and I think all the distros should only be interested in making their DE-s and so on… as bug free and smooth as possible… and not dabble in things like this, especially hear, say…
1st. How cares about that, business is business.
2nd. If both parties agree and sign a contract, that means that they are happy with what is signed. Nobody can make you do things that are not signed in a contract, plus they are signed in accordance to the countries laws, sooo…
Nope, not entirely true. If a company makes a good decisions and doesn’t succumb to a political pressure or any kind of pressure for that matter it can thrive.
Cheers…
P.S I won’t be posting on this matter any more…
I decided to “waste” some of my time to try and understand what this is actually about.
Basically, accusations against ArvanCloud come from multiple reporters and NGOs – including Reporters sans frontières. One article providing numerous details and context – probably not without bias – is from Radio Zamaneh, an Iranian radio based in the Netherlands: “Riding the Clouds”: Abr Arvan Cloud Company and the Perspective of Internet Restriction in Iran – Zamaneh Media
So, in a nutshell.
Abr Arvan (ArvanCloud at international) is a leading cloud service provider in Iran, with also business outside. As such, they have clients and data centers both inside and outside Iran, but are also likely to make contracts with the Iranian Government.
On another hand, Iran has a domestic Internet, which can be connected to and work separately from the global Internet. During the disconnection in 2019, ArvanCloud managed to promptly allow their clients to access their data centers on the other side. Afterwards, in anticipation to future disconnections, they advised their Iranian clients to move their infrastructure to the domestic data centers.
Basically, they are accused to contribute to the censorship and crackdown in Iran:
Personally, from what i managed to find and understand, this is quite light. Until they make a document public that show their direct involvement, it’s more about collateral from being Iranian.
Think about it: since becoming a national leading cloud service provider, building a reliable service/network (at least) within the territory is rather a given, and contracting with national authorities is rather expected. Many other companies in other countries have similar backgrounds, and that’s not really a problem. The difference here is we’re in Iran, which is not known for being a democracy.
There is no denying their contribution to facilitate the separation between the Iranian Internet et the rest of the world. Though considering the country they make business in, from my point of view, their decisions are sensible if they want to keep their lead, decisions still rather forced upon them by the Iranian government…
This was mostly the best they could do for their clients. 
The rumors are rumors until they’re proven correct or wrong
There is no dispute to an absence of evidence/facts at this time
I believe it’s irresponsible if one just waves their hands and claim all the allegations are mere rumors. I’m not a journalist nor have the time to personally dig into the story and analyze it from every possible aspect. But I firmly believe, as a user, I have a responsibility to hold the corporations accountable for what they do
Offering belief with no action and expecting Manjaro to assume responsibility and take action?
A small amount of fact checking suggests that this conversation has no current relevance
ArvanCloud mirror has not been accessible recently
because the certificate expired Thu, 03 Nov 2022 23:06:57 GMT
I suggest that moderators close this discussion to prevent further controversy and speculation
A new discussion can be started if some facts or evidence come to light and certificate is renewed
I have been existing very well without politics for many years and Manjaro forum was a good place to avoid divisive stupidity. I hope that this forum will continue to “improve the conversation”
(or open an off-topic area so users can either ignore noxious opinions or post a frank response)
We are a global distributor of a Linux operating system. Therefore we have partners also in Iran and China to provide our OS also in those regions.
Yes, they offer many services. In our current cooperation with them they host our packages at their data centers thru their CDN network so more countries in Asia can get Manjaro locally and faster thru their networks.
Manjaro stays neutral in any case aligned to conflicts or politics. Also there is no money flown between ArvanCloud and Manjaro. They are just a so to speak hardware sponsor providing us their infrastructure for free. Similar as CDN77 does it from the UK.
You may read again their article: https://news.arvancloud.com/en/arvancloud-response-to-three-german-news-outlets/