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Subscribe to RSSWith parliamentary elections scheduled for next week, Iran has begun blocking Internet services, Web security experts say, adding to concerns that government leaders hope to shut off Iranians from the rest of the online world.
 M. Alex Johnson is a reporter for msnbc.com. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. |
The Tor Network, which provides free software for anonymous use of the Internet, reported that on Feb. 9, Tehran began filtering keywords and throttling or shutting down access to sites that use a form of security called Secure Socket Layers, or SSL. The protocol, which encrypts data being sent back and forth between servers and users, is used by such popular sites as Gmail and Facebook. Web addresses protected by SSL begin "https," instead of "http."
Activists in repressive countries often use Tor services to get around such restrictions, and before Feb. 9, Iranians were the second-largest users of Tor. But because Iran targeted the core SSL protocol, "Tor stopped working too," the organization said.
The action is blocking email and some Web access for as many as 30 million Iranians who use SSL-protected sites, reported CBR Systems & Network Security, a European technology organization.
Iran, which will hold parliamentary elections on March 2, has referred to Google and other search engines as "spying tools," and it has throttled access to foreign web servers previously at politically sensitive times. The free-expression activist group Reporters Without Borders has branded Iran as an "enemy of the Internet." (.pdf)
Online journalists censored, attacked: report
Iran's Communications and Technology Minister Reza Taghipour said Monday that a firewalled "national Internet," which Tehran has been promising since as early as 2006, would be launched in the spring. Internet security analysts and open-Internet activists say the "national Internet" would act as a closed intranet sealing Iranians off from large chunks of the web. Similar systems are known to be in use in China and North Korea.
The Iranian news agency Mehr quoted Taghipour as saying at a cyberdefense forum in Tehran that "the first phase of this network will become operational in the month of Khordad," which straddles May and June.
The Tor network said it was continuing "to research and investigate solutions with the assumption that SSL will eventually be blocked nationwide inside Iran."
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I'm sure Iranians will know who to vote for, for their own good. People still talk, people still have ears and brains. Eventually nothing stops the will of the people.
The will of the people will be oppressed by the Iranian government. I would guess the election results are pre-determined by those already in power.
The last election in Iran was rigged, what makes anyone think this one will be any different. The winners in the elections will be the people the mullahs want to win. The idea that there is any such thing as free elections in a country like Iran is pure fiction. This voting is nothing more than for show.
Any government that cannot withstand the free and open discussion of its citizens is doomed to fail.
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It's hardly necessary to rig an election when you already control who is allowed to run for office!
In order to have free elections, you have to start with free candidates.
Good time for attacking them...shutting down the Internet..gives no info whats happening in the world to most who use the Internet for info.
Not saying the USA will attack them..but plenty of other countries want too.
Oh yeah, the government of Iran will eventually fail. The only thing in contention is how many people and country's it will take with it in the process.
Chester12 - Exactly - Look what happened in Florida in 2004. There was certainly a grave mistake in the miscount there. The people's vote didn't matter in the slightest.
The last election featured 10's of millions of manual votes and the tally was done in less than a day, and the winner was the Ayatollahs!! Sounds like corruption to me.
I sense an Arab Spring in Iran, even though they are not Arabs. Time throw the clerics, Ayatollahs and Ahmadinijad out. Be it by election or in a body bag.
The only sure fire way to get rid of the Iranian Government is to cut them off from the world.
But that will not happen because it would punish the people there as well. They are not the ones that are the problem.
Civil war would work too, but that would mean that the people would have to get organized and stand up for themselves.
Other countries have ousted governments. But I am sure that news of that was blocked to keep the people in check.
Maybe instead of doing sanctions that only end up hurting the people that live there, we should drop flyers all over the country that say "It's your country, time to take it back"
doubtfull
You make good points. In order for the people of Iran to solve the problem, they need to organize and guess what this email block does, it prevents organization.
There is a large percentage of the Iranian population that is liberal, West favoring and desirous of Democracy. They tried to get rid of the clerics once and failed. They need to do it again. Isolation will motivate these people to take back their country.
I wouldn't expect it to happen so easily, Iran is a well organized suppressive Theocracy that will fight revolution a lot harder than Syria's Baathist regime.
Save the environment
I suspect it's more to do with them not wanting a rerun of the aftermath of the last elections, played out via the net again. As others have pointed out all the candidates are ok'd by the Clerics so don't expect any real changes.
Our last "countless" elections have been rigged. There's nothing different at work here.
Free speech has become a dead concept.
Rigging of the elections, certainly. The results are guaranteed worthless. But the collective mind and will cannot be rigged forever, even through propaganda, manipulation, control, coercion and repression.
Wow, this sounds like something some Republicans would like to do here.
@Otterpond
Oh just shut up already will you? Remember its Bush's fault
From the number and types of collapsed comments I see, it's the libs that would like to block the internet or at least that part that allows view points other than their own.
Nice try! Obama tried to get something like this passed in December. It failed after the people objected so much. Now, BHO is trying it again. Only this time he is using a pre-text to get just about the very same thing through Congress.
You mean SOPA and IPS? Those were GOP led efforts with some Dems assisting. And after we educated our wholly misguided legislators so they could understand the problems, then the whole thing failed miserably.
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chester12: it's Newsvine posters who do that, and I think tyler and sally do a pretty good job of keeping the racists, spammers, and death-wishers away.
Besides, when a comment is collapsed, you can still read it by clicking the little box on the upper left of the post.
@chester12 Some of those collapsed comments I look at and wonder why they got collapsed. Some times I think it is done at random.
Otterpond - You mean again, like was done in 2004?
Why are we so concerned about Iran, when China is clearly the bigger threat? I think big "international" business interests want to keep the Chinese factory workers out of touch, so they don't demand decent wages. Why isn't the lack of internet freedom in China, which goes on all the time, reported with the same vigor as Iran?
Just some more posturing done by some in the media and government to help further the smearing of Iran's leadership to the point of war..... (just a thought)
The leadership of Iran is doing a great job smearing themselves with their statements and actions. They are infected with theocracy and think that no one can touch them because Allah is on their side. They're going to find out otherwise soon enough. The sooner the better so they can't get their deranged hands on nuclear weapons.
We all know that war is where we are headed. It's only a matter of time now. The Iranian government is like a man smoking a cigarette while walking around in a room filled with explosives. We all stand back holding our breaths, waiting for the worst. Sometimes, even though I hate war, I wish they would just go ahead and get it over with already.
James: Well said....
First thought: None of our business.... Second thought: Iran is heading for an absolute pounding from Israel.
probably a safety feature in order to keep israel from collecting info and assasinating iranian voters. Democracy rules!
I pity the Iranians, and loathe their evil theocracy.
Well put, Mike.
The USA is also a theocracy. Yuk!
Every candidate from both parties that is running for president is some kind of christian goofball. The USA is a holy land. Puck!
That's a pretty piss poor definition of the word "theocracy", Phil.
What's the matter Mr. Supreme Leader of Iran? You afraid the election might not go the way you want it to? You afraid of a fair fight? Looks like you have another stoog in line. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can't be elected again because your 1979 Constitution only allows 2 terms. But hey, you are the big fat (headed) Supreme Leader. I bet you would have no problem changing the constitution. All you have to do is claim it is gods will.
I dare you to have open, not rigged elections. If your system is so great and wonderful, you have no worries. You wouldn't need to rig elections, or block free speech.
Mr. Supreme Leader, you and your cronies are just tyrants. Your interests are self serving. You care about keeping power, and care little for the people of Iran.
The leaders of this country are like a bully who needs to learn the hard way while the innocent victims suffer from their misdeeds..
I doubt this will do much considering the success they have had previously in blocking the Internet during periods of civil unrest.
Re-elect President Obama and you just might be in for some of the same treatment as the people of Iran are facing right now.
Bill Ayers, Rev. Wright, Van Jones.........that's the Prez's buddies....and that's the control they seek over the American people.
As long as it means I can buy the drugs you are high on, I'm down with it.
I plan on re-electing Obama, and you should plan on him being the president, because no GOP has a chance.
It is interesting that Iran allowed free use of the internet to begin with. Also what is not clear and fuzzy about this article is whether free access exists now or is restricted now and what exactly will change in May-June. And if the elections are next week, the current use of the internet will not change prior to and during these elections (as the change is not supposed to be implemented until May-June
The same kind of rigged elections occur in the good ol' U.S. of A. also. Don't ya ever notice that during any of our elections, that we are given just a handful of pre-appointed choices? It's the golden rule....those with the gold, make the rules. hasn't anyone ever figured it out that we will NEVER EVER get to have a construction worker or laboror on the ballot? All we get are lawyers, millionaires, and career politicians. we are all sheep in America.
@James: I'll agree with you if Ron Paul doesn't get the nomination.
Why bother - they should just announce the winner already and not wast what is left of their pitiful economy on a sham election.
Well said!
Their democracy is as good as ours. Ours is phony and it stinks.
knowledge>wisdom> begins with conversations and the sharing of idea's and ideals THAT is imperative to any form of a positive and progressive thought process...the fear of those governing who regulate and supervise with prejudice make themselves dictators of self importance and malice. They build their kingdoms on fear alone....which as history tells me tends to lead only to mistrust, violence and anger...keeping the ignorant .....ignorant, pliable to acts merely of hopelessness and blind obedience...POWER, an absolute corrupter for centuries like a drug with no antidote or vaccine except knowledge, wisdom and acceptance of sincere benevolence.
cleanhouse 2012 - they're coming for you, Better lock the door and load your shotgun. Obama means business and he wants to control your life. Plus did you know he's a wife beatin gun shootin Burka buyin' Muslim? Plus get this he drinks beer, sometime smokes cigarettes breathes our air and god forbid he's part african american.
And your post is relevant to the topic because?
I really don't see what that has to do with the price of votes in Iran.
Afro-european.
Why do I have this feeling that someday I'll be reading about this and the article will be talking about our upcoming elections.
well if they block the internet you wont be able to read about it now will you.
Before it actually happens idiot...
They childproofed they`re internet. Sounds like something you do to keep your kids away from porn sites. When are the iranian people going to wake up and learn that they will all most likely die in the next few years, and they`re own government could care less.
Wake up Iranian people before its to late.
Very good try Alex, but can't you give me anything intelligently in which I can criticize Iran? Give me something better so I can argue against Iran political policy and practice. The spin on this artical is too transparent.
Iran is becoming more and more Communist everyear. Which is threat to the entire Middle East region as well as America and the rest of the world.
Save the world from Communism invade Iran and remove the Iranian leadership so that free elections can take place instead of faux pas elections where the Iranian people are allowed to vote freely as long as their vote is for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
wow I wonder who will win???
gingrichabad or romneyabad
landon, what office is being presented to the public in which to vote? And who are running for these offices. I didn't know that Iran even held public elections
Repressive regimes that attempt to seal off their people from knowledge only serve to make them more hungry for the outside world and more angry that their totalitarian leaders treat them so paternally. This is the fuel for revolutions.
William, read the article. It is not clear that the change is going to happen now. In fact it suggests that the change is not going to happen until May-June (and the elections are next week)
I think Romney is going to win this Iranian election.
Looks like Immanutjob is planning his re-election. This is just an expanded version of the media snow job that happens here.
Elections??? The fact that Iran even allows public elections is a good enouph reason to nuke them
"Sounds like something Republicans would do" was a comment from another delusional Democrat. Acorn (past) and Unions register dead people ect. The Democrats are going down in flames this fall!