US ISP Terminates Iranian News Website

grcumb writes "BBC News Online is reporting that the 'semi-official' Iranian Student News Agency has had its contract arbitrarily terminated by the US hosting service The Planet. Quoted in the Central Asian & Southern Caucasian Freedom of Expression Network, an ISNA spokesman said, "Eliminating the site of ISNA, a media outlet widely accessed around the world, is against informatics laws and runs counter to the rhetoric about the free flow of information and the principle of freedom to access information and news,". The BBC Reports that Iranian government officials were quick to accuse the US administration of pressuring The Planet to terminate the contract. So what should we make of this? Government conspiracy, corporate arrogance, or the proper sanctioning of the mouthpiece of an oppressive regime? " As the submittor says, details are virtually unknown about this - my research shows some calling the ISNA a 'bastion of freedom' to other saying it's run by flunkies of the old men of Iran; definitely not cut and dried one way or another.

Comments

I don't know

[maroberts]

the site is all arabic to me

Fox!

[Anonymous Coward]

... the proper sanctioning of the mouthpiece of an oppressive regime?

Shut down Fox!

How (not) to pick an ISP

[tbase]

Would you open an AOL account so you could start a pr0n website using the included web space? Would you then cry censorship when they take you page down? Maybe these guys did their homework, but it seems to me you'd want to either self-host or be very selective if you're going to run a contriversial site. Oh but wait, then you wouldn't get that free publicity when they shut you down, or the free hosting when some "hero" steps in to "right the wrong".

Shared hosting is like living in an apartment building. If you want to start a swinger's club, you might want to consider a more out-of-the-way location and either buy it or find an open-minded landlord. Because the first time someone shows up at your building with sex-toy-headgear on, Mr. Flanders in 3B is probably going to start making phone calls.

Re:How (not) to pick an ISP

[pjt33]

Would you open an AOL account <snip>?

This is Slashdot. Even if someone would, they're not going to admit it.

War on terror

[Anonymous Coward]

This is probably just another part of the great war on terror. After concluding that most of the world hates america for it's freedom, america is now stricing back, demonstrating that there isn't actually as much freedom as some like to think, thereby reducing the number of reasons for the 'rest of the world' to hate them.

Go ahead, you can mod me down now, in the name of freedom. ;)

Re:Here's another chance to complain about Dubya

[Anonymous Coward]

That flightsuit photo makes many a men insecure. Why, I had to install the SELinux kernel on my Hardened Gentoo install just to get my server happy again.

Re:On the side of The Planet

[the_mad_poster]

Sir, this is Slashdot, the Usenet of the web. Your sensibility and level-headed approach to a murky situation is not appreciated here.

Re:Servers are private property.

[Chibi]

"y'all have no right to expect a contract to be honoured"

I suddenly have an image of the US South under British rule... :)

"Bloody hell, Cleetus, I think this boy is biting his thumb at me!"

Re:+5, Funny

[Red Moose]

even well-informed Westerners would have a difficult time getting a pulse reading, even with their finger on the vein.

I'm being an asshole pointing this out, but you get pulses from the arteries, not veins.