Iran Suspends Google's Email Service

appl_iran writes "Iran's telecommunications agency announced that it would be suspending Google's email services permanently, saying it would roll out its own national email service." From the short WSJ article that is kernel of this Reuters story: "An Iranian official said the measure was meant to boost local development of Internet technology and to build trust between people and the government." Funny way to go about that. Updated 20100211 9:54GMT by timothy: Original link swapped for a more appropriate, updated one.

Comments

China lead the way.

[eparker05]

"to build trust between people and government"

Because, as China has shown, censoring communication is the fastest and easiest way to built trust. Go Iran!

Re:China lead the way.

[the_povinator]

This storyline sucks because it has no moral ambiguity in it.

Re:China lead the way.

[Arthur Grumbine]

Oh, yeah... well how would you feel if you were a country that was just trying to provide the most wholesome kind of social system possible (as laid out by God himself!), and all your people were using the internet for was bad-mouthing your attempts to fight the righteous battle against the vile corruption from the West that was threatening to engulf your poor country? You wouldn't feel so good then, would you?

I've seen the Beta!

[e2d2]

I've seen the Beta. It's actually quite like Google wave where you can edit another's words in real time. And by you I mean government agents.

Re:frist

[zill]

If you're were in Iran you would have been stoned to death already.

I'm pretty sure the Great Prophet Muhammad explicitly forbade trolling.

HTTPS

[ink]

It's because Google recently moved gmail to HTTPS. It was an option before, but now its mandatory. Someone's email snooper device stopped working in Iran's ministry of snooping^H^H^H^H^H^H truth, and they threw a fit. Then their prophet-dude probably received a revelation that the country needs it's own "Islamic" email system to be rid of the heathens... etc., etc.

Re:Build trust?

[_Sprocket_]

Those of us in the US will understand the language. Iran has a central, government email system to build trust. We have the PATRIOT Act to protect freedom.

Re:Well of course

[Grishnakh]

"A proper global government"? You say that like it's a desirable thing. If we had a global government, we'd have to give equal footing to leaders from places like Somalia, Sudan, China, Zimbabwe, Libya, Cuba, Venezuela, etc. These are places where people do NOT value freedom or human rights. Even worse, you'd have all the Islamic nations pressing for worldwide laws against anything they deem "immoral". We have enough problems here in the USA with fundamentalist Christians trying to push their morals on us.

You can't have "global government" and then only allow Western nations to have all the power. If you include everyone in the government, you have to give equal power to everyone. And I don't want uncivilized savages from the Middle East having any kind of say about what goes on in my life.

Re:frist

[NiceGeek]

Tell me, why single out Islam? *ALL* religions were pulled out of someone's ass at some point. Not just the ones you don't personally like.

Re:Build trust?

[gerddie]

Iran called for the extermination of all Jews.

No, they didn't and the quote of Ahmadinejad that Israel should be wiped of the map was a
mistranslation that has been quote way too often. Specifically:

"The fact that he (Ahmadinejad) compared his desired option - the elimination of "the regime occupying Jerusalem" - with the fall of the Shah's regime in Iran makes it crystal clear that he is talking about regime change, not the end of Israel. As a schoolboy opponent of the Shah in the 1970's he surely did not favor Iran's removal from the page of time. He just wanted the Shah out,"

Besides:

Though Iran doesn't recognize Israel, and Iranian citizens are not legally authorized to travel to the Jewish state, ... Jews in Iran are not in danger.

Iran's Jewish community of about 25,000 people is protected by the country's constitution and remains the largest in the Muslim Middle East. Synagogues, Jewish schools and stores operate openly. Morsathegh said in Tehran there are 20 synagogues, eight butchers, five schools, four youth organizations and two restaurants.

Morsathegh said Iranians, including Jews, immigrated from Iran following the 1979 Islamic revolution that brought hard-line clerics to power but said there had not been an exodus of Jews from Iran in recent years.

"We are one of the oldest communities in Iran. We are free to practice our religion. Anti-Semitism is a Western phenomenon but Jews have never been in danger in Iran," said Morsathegh, who spoke in his office in the Sapir Charity Hospital, which is run by Iranian Jews.

Source

Re:Build trust?

[Apple Acolyte]

He isn't just talking about regime change. He's talking about the destruction of the state - that's clear. And besides, there are videos of Ahmadinejad leading chants of "Death to the Jews."