The U.S. issued new general licenses authorizing exports to the sanctioned nations of “software related to the exchange of personal communications over the Internet” following a State Department request, the Treasury said in a statement today. The change is immediate and includes software publicly available at no cost to the user, according to the regulations.

“This software will foster and support the free flow of information -- a basic human right,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin said in the statement.

Microsoft and Google last year cut off the use of instant messages by citizens of Iran, Syria, Cuba and Sudan, saying U.S. regulations prohibited the required downloads. The State Department made a public appeal to ease rules on software in December, saying people worldwide should have unfettered access to information, which is “essential to the national interest of the United States.”

The new rules also allow the use of software for Web browsing, blogging, chat rooms and photo and movie sharing, according to the Treasury. The department’s statement made no mention of Syria.