Iran Blocks Access To Google And Gmail; Giant Walled-Off Domestic Intranet

[george]

Iran blocks access to Google and Gmail

US internet company's services censored as part of first steps to establish a giant walled-off domestic intranet.

Iran has blocked access to Google's popular Gmail service amid first steps by Tehran to establish a walled-off national intranet separate from the worldwide Internet.

Web users in Iran also found on Monday that access to Google's search page was restricted to its unsecured version.

The curbs were announced in a mobile phone text message that was sent out after a government deputy minister announced on state television on Sunday that Google and its email service would be blocked "within a few hours".

Google's own website tracking country-by-country access to its services did not immediately reflect the blocks, but several residents in Tehran told the AFP news agency they were unable to login into their Gmail accounts.

Intranet plans

The move is not the first time that Iranian authorities have cut access to Google and Gmail, which was temporarily blocked in February ahead of March parliamentary elections.

Google's popular YouTube video-sharing site has been continuously censored since mid-2009, following protests and opposition claims of vote fraud in the wake of the elections that returned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power.

Other social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, and any site declared offensive or criminal, are also routinely blocked.

Speaking on Sunday, Ali Hakim-Javadi, deputy communications and technology minister, was quoted by the Mehr news agency as saying: "In recent days, all governmental agencies and offices have been connected to the national information network.

The second phase of the plan would be to connect ordinary Iranians to the national network, he said.

The announcement has stoked fears in Iran that the new intranet would supplant the internet altogether, claims which officials have denied.

"The establishment of the 'National Internet' will not cut access to the Internet," Mohammad Soleimai, a politician heading a parliamentary communication committe, was quoted as saying last week by the Iranian Students' News Agency.

"Cutting access to the internet is not possible at all, because it would amount to imposing sanctions on ourselves, which would not be logical. However, the filtering will remain in place."

Iran's economy is currently suffering under Western sanctions over its nuclear programme that have cut oil exports and made trade more difficult.

Source: Agencies 2012-09-25

[Chads]

Failing to realize that's only going to piss off Iranians even more.

[pxlgirl]

... who will find a way around it...

[pacovl46]

Great, make yourself even more suspicious. Way to go Iran!!!

[rics21]

What's the point of doing that?

Sent from my XT910 using Thaivisa Connect App

[maidu]

Iranian entrepreneurs: here's a product that will sell like proverbial hotcakes:

black goop. Made from tar mixed with beeswax. Apply over the eyes of everyone you know. No one sees anything offensive. No one gets stimulated by something visually appealing. Ordinarily $15/gallon. This week only: $11.95! We're also working on a concoction which fills the ear canals. Works better than earplugs. No chance of hearing any stimulating music or the come-on whispers of whores on street corners at the bad parts of town. We're also working on a saltpeter salve which gay men can apply which disallows hard-ons, but since there are no gay men in Iran, we won't be marketing it there.

[Steely Dan]

I eagerly await the resident moral equivalence specialists to criticize western web censorship probably citing wikileaks to boot.

[how241]

Great, make yourself even more suspicious. Way to go Iran!!!

+1

[jbrain]

US internet company's services censored as part of first steps to establish a giant walled-off domestic intranet.

That almost sounds like they are ruled by the same government as Thailand

[Chads]

US internet company's services censored as part of first steps to establish a giant walled-off domestic intranet.

That almost sounds like they are governed by Thais.

Come on, I don't Thailand is as bad.

[jbrain]

US internet company's services censored as part of first steps to establish a giant walled-off domestic intranet.

That almost sounds like they are governed by Thais.

Come on, I don't Thailand is as bad.

Well, with 277.000 websites blocked as of November 2010, they don't do bad either I should say.

[Chicog]

From what I understand, they've blocked the name but not the IP. Not very bright of them.

[Chads]

US internet company's services censored as part of first steps to establish a giant walled-off domestic intranet.

That almost sounds like they are governed by Thais.

Come on, I don't Thailand is as bad.

Well, with 277.000 websites blocked as of November 2010, they don't do bad either I should say.

Though it's not a general blocking of even Google and Gmail. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship#.22Internet_enemies.22_and_.22countries_under_surveillance.22_lists

[Credo]

I feel sorry for the Iranian people. They will never get to collect the millions of dollars that are sitting in the Nigerian banks!

[RubbaJohnny]

Persian version Go Ogle.com

[geriatrickid]

Another indication that a violent altercation with Iran is brewing. Protestors against the alleged rigged parliamentary elections in Iran had relied on Twitter and facebook to spread information. It seems that the Iranians have learnt from the Arab spring events and are seeking to disrupt the ability of protestors or opponents of the regime to organize and to access information.

If and when the violence starts Iranians will not know what is going on and will have to rely on government information sources.

[Morch]

I believe the main reason for this has to do with cyber attack threats, especially those targeting Iran's nuclear program and infrastructure, as well as a counter-intelligence measure.

The restrictions on internet use in place today are harsh enough, so while wishing for additional control over internal affairs and possible dissent is plausible , it is probably not a stand alone reason for this move.