Censorship fears rise as Iran blocks access to top websites
Iran yesterday shut down access to some of the world's most popular websites. Users were unable to open popular sites including Amazon.com and YouTube following instructions to service providers to filter them.
Similar edicts have been issued against Wikipedia, the internet encyclopaedia, IMDB.com, an online film database, and the New York Times site. Attempts to open the sites are met with a page reading: "The requested page is forbidden." The clampdown was ordered by senior judiciary officials in the latest phase of a campaign that has seen high-speed broadband facilities banned in an attempt to impede "corrupting" foreign films and music. It is in line with a campaign by Iran's Islamist president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to purge the country of western cultural influences.
Iran was among 13 countries branded "enemies of the internet" last month by the human rights group, Reporters Without Borders, which cited state-sanctioned blocking of websites and the widespread intimidation and jailing of bloggers.
Critics accuse Iran of using filtering technology to censor more sites than any country apart from China. Until now, targets have been mainly linked to opposition groups or those deemed "immoral" under Iran's Islamic legal code. Some news sites, such as the BBC's Farsi service, are also blocked.
"We have asked the judiciary, who are in charge of filtering, to explain the decisions on all the sites specified but so far the only reply we have is a confirmation of the block on Wikipedia. We don't know why," said a senior technician with Datak, a service provider.
The ban on YouTube reflects a growing official sensitivity to private films on the internet, an issue highlighted by a recent online video which appears to show an Iranian soap opera star having sex.
With some 7.5 million surfers, Iran is believed to have the highest rate of web use in the Middle East after Israel. The net's popularity has prompted an estimated 100,000 bloggers, many opposed to the Islamic regime. Some blogs are substitutes for Iran's once-flourishing, but now largely supressed, reformist press.
Last week Mohammed Tourang, head of the information bureau's cultural committee, warned Iranian websites of stricter rules by announcing steps to stamp out "immoral and illegal" content. He said site owners would be given official reminders to eliminate forbidden material. Special attention would be paid to content judged to be a threat to national unity or insulting to sacred religious texts and symbols. Students and academics say the move limits their ability to conduct research.
The purge mirrors a rising tide of censorship in Iranian publishing which has resulted in the banning of hundreds of books, including western classics. Illegal satellite dishes have also been seized.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,1963166,00.html
Re: Iran censorship crackdown, bans internet sites (wiki, youtube, others)
all this fuss over Iran doing this on the internet but let me make one point.
Every country even the so called liberal western world places restrictions of some kind even on their own newspapers. There are certain articles that are not eve allowed to be published and the news always has some sort of bias.
So what's wrong with Iran doing this? I dont see nothing wrong with it.
Every country will use the means it has to defend itself. If some countries without mentioning any names (USA & UK) want to kill of Iran and the internet can be used as such a powerful weapon these days causing civilian unrest and the ulitmate downfall of a country you can see where they (Iran) is coming from.
Re: Iran censorship crackdown, bans internet sites (wiki, youtube, others)
Every country even the so called liberal western world places restrictions of some kind even on their own newspapers. There are certain articles that are not eve allowed to be published and the news always has some sort of bias.
So what's wrong with Iran doing this? I dont see nothing wrong with it.
Every country will use the means it has to defend itself. If some countries without mentioning any names (USA & UK) want to kill of Iran and the internet can be used as such a powerful weapon these days causing civilian unrest and the ulitmate downfall of a country you can see where they (Iran) is coming from.
Newspaper not publishing something or News having bias is completely different from censorship
Countries like Austria have rules against denying the holocaust but they have literature on it
Iran and Saudi ARabia and China censor everything.....
Re: Iran censorship crackdown, bans internet sites (wiki, youtube, others)
You're right. They're making all the fuss over restrictions and censors - how about their owm media that never shows the complete story or both sides of the picture. Everything is censored in these countries but when a Muslim country does that, they make a big deal about it.
I don't fully agree with Iran's decision either. Its fine that they're putting restrictions on few things but making the whole site restricted is kind of weird.
Re: Iran censorship crackdown, bans internet sites (wiki, youtube, others)
Is it any wonder that the Islamic World is so backward that the governements dont trust their own people with information
with all due respect sir, its not just muslim countries, every government keeps some information from their own people. that is not to say this attempt by iran is justified. the more the information is witheld from people, the more curious they become and in this time and age they will find a way around it.
Re: Iran censorship crackdown, bans internet sites (wiki, youtube, others)
This is a great news. I personally don't want counteries like SA and Iran to have access to technology, news, ideas, modernity, and whatever else is happening in the world outside. As a matter of fact I'm a great proponent to fundamental changes in their architecture as well to resembles something more like caves!
Re: Iran censorship crackdown, bans internet sites (wiki, youtube, others)
Thank Allah for Iranian's Imam for protecting it's citizens, after all they are unable or incapable to understand what they read or hear and might be lead down the path of evil so better to take it away altogether. Iran leaders, true protectors.
Re: Iran censorship crackdown, bans internet sites (wiki, youtube, others)
sorry sir you are wrong.....
banning internet sites, shutting down newspapers if they publish somethign which is against the current government or tv and foriegn press which is heavily censored and banned......
Which western government has done that?
As for the holocaust thing. Those were laws written in 1947 to prevent the rise of Nazism after a war which claimed 37 million European lives.
As for people finding out stuff when government is really a bad example. Please tell what happens if someone is caught with that information. They either get sent to prison or are never heard from again....
What is this Nazi Germany ?
Whether you like it or not, Europe and North America and the West have more freedoms than the so called Islamic countries. Which is truly a disgrace
Re: Iran censorship crackdown, bans internet sites (wiki, youtube, others)
banning internet sites, shutting down newspapers if they publish somethign which is against the current government or tv and foriegn press which is heavily censored and banned......
Which western government has done that?
As for the holocaust thing. Those were laws written in 1947 to prevent the rise of Nazism after a war which claimed 37 million European lives.
As for people finding out stuff when government is really a bad example. Please tell what happens if someone is caught with that information. They either get sent to prison or are never heard from again....
What is this Nazi Germany ?
Whether you like it or not, Europe and North America and the West have more freedoms than the so called Islamic countries. Which is truly a disgrace
look man, you need to calm down...
i neva suggested that it was right for the iranians to censor information. i didn't even suggest europe and NA and west didn't have more freedoms than the so called islamic countries. In fact i agree with you on this point.
I did say that every government keeps some information from their citizens which is the truth whether one likes it or not.
Re: Iran censorship crackdown, bans internet sites (wiki, youtube, others)
That's priceless, ma. This oppressive, dictatorial government bans access to information, shopping and entertainment and you compare that to the banning of a terrorist-funded propaganda network that is used as "psychological warfare against the Zionist enemy" and calls for the destruction of Israel.
To paraphrase a wise woman:
Some folks here tend to have a mental block when it comes to Iran. For example, access to unbiased ifnormation is banned and they don't have the guts to condemn it...instead they divert the topic and turned on the Amercians. its a dirty and shallow ploy, not accepting the obvious faults, but thats what they are known for...and seriously, seriously detested world wide for.
Re: Iran censorship crackdown, bans internet sites (wiki, youtube, others)
To paraphrase a wise woman:
Some folks here tend to have a mental block when it comes to Iran. For example, access to **unbiased ifnormation* is banned and they don't have the guts to condemn it...instead they divert the topic and turned on the Amercians. its a dirty and shallow ploy, not accepting the obvious faults, but thats what they are known for...and seriously, seriously detested world wide for.*
thats an oxymoron... no such thing exists. Everyone has their biases that they pass as information.
Re: Iran censorship crackdown, bans internet sites (wiki, youtube, others)
There is a difference between banning this to stop freedom of expression and people who choose not to get involve. The system and medium is still present and you still get the information to call those newpaper bias because you know facts, unlike in Iran. I hope people here understand, especailly when most of them live in "those western countries" and not Iran.