Internet Liberation in Iran
Some headlines today in the New York Times involved some issues like sexual exploitation of children in Britain, DNA test results in a 30 year old murder, casualties of war and nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence. This week in Iran president Hassan Rouhani has improved internet speeds in his country by giving 3G and 4G network licenses to the republic’s two biggest providers. Previously, the government had made internet speeds so slow, it was practically impossible to use. Shiite clerics had blocked all forms of technology in an effort to protect themselves from modern communication. The reason for this was to prevent uprising of activists who may connect through social media or other sources to organize demonstrations. It also prevented anyone from sharing photos or video via the internet. The internet is believed by some in Iran to be dangerous to youth. Officials believe young minds will be poisoned by pictures and videos they find online. Rouhani claims that access to the internet is vital if Iranian youth want to function in the modern world and is now trusting them to use this technology wisely. However, the internet will be heavily monitored and only certain websites will be allowed. One major issue with Iranian internet access is that it allows citizens to communicate via internet connection instead of traditional phone communication which is causing the phone companies to lose money. This issue has a lot of Iranians believing internet censorship will only get worse and may land them back where they were earlier this year. There are many people posting on twitter today about this announcement of internet freedom. While most are tweeting links to the articles and celebrating, there are a few who are angry at Rouhani for spending his time on this and not on human rights in Iran.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29017729
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27330745
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