Helping Iranians stay free online
The Orange County Register / Brian Calle
05-Dec-2009

Iran is teetering is on the verge of something – and it could be a citizen-led freedom revolution – powered by online social media and a California technology whiz.

The Islamic Republic dominated global news headlines this summer as an uprising began to brew when enraged citizens suspected fraud in the June reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But mainstream media did not launch this powerful story – citizen journalists did so, using the Internet. In response, Ahmadinejad and Iran's Guardian Council attempted to censor speech and limit access to the Internet across the country – and they continue to do so. Their efforts must fail.

The protests kicked off during Ahmadinejad's celebratory inauguration ceremony – which was no coincidence. Web sites, blogs and online social media streamed out uncensored information and created the foundation for organized protests that led to legions of Iranians demonstrating in the streets. The theocratic Iranian government responded swiftly and violently to this ideological opposition, trying to suppress any and all dissent.

Traditional media in Iran is basically a wing of the government, so the only outlet for contrary opinion is nontraditional, new-media platforms like blogs, Facebook and Twitter. The Iranian government' attempts to control those media are increasing at a rapid and alarming pace. Ahmadinejad and the mullahs are attempting to censor Internet access for the Iranian people because th... >>>

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