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US Eases Internet Export Rules To Iran, Sudan, Cuba
coondoggie writes "Looking to facilitate what it calls free speech rights in countries that don't look favorably at such liberties, the US government today said it would ease the regulations around exporting Internet-based applications to Iran, Sudan and Cuba. Specifically, the Treasury Department said it would add general licenses (PDF) authorizing the exportation of free, personal, Internet-based communications services – such as instant messaging, chat and email, and social networking – to those three countries. The amendments also allow the exportation of related software to Iran and Sudan, the department said in a release (the US Commerce Department controls software exports with Cuba). Until now all such exports would have broken federal laws."
Sounds like a good way to gather intel on the people using this technology in these "friendly" countries.
Ocean is land, covered with water.
You need a license to export ?
Better add "free-speech zones" to that list.
Set your phasers on "funky"!
We have a strict policy of saying unkind things about any dictators who we didn't install personally(and a few who haven't been passing their performance reviews since we did)...
Than a country full of sedentary layabouts twittering to each other like chickadees
about the price of spice
and admiring their own portraits on facebook.
Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
It's not like my music is some kind of weapon.
You'd think that following the rules would just be a matter of looking up which countries are embargoed, but it's not that simple. In many cases it's not the country that's embargoed, it's specific individuals or organizations - in the case of Iran, it's the Revolutionary Guard, among others.
I'm pretty sure there's a procedure by which I could get a license, and I would be happy to go to all the trouble and expense that would be required. What I'm not looking forward to though is if and when I do get the required licenses, having to explain to the clerk at my post office that I have the permission of the Feral Gummint to mail my music to Persia.
Request your free CD of my piano music.
fuzzyfuzzyfungus, don't say "we". If you got in the way of oil profits, they would kill you, too.
Folks, nothing could be better than trading with your enemies. It has worked for millennia, and will continue to do so. Trade Iran's government into a needy, third-world leech. It's better than a war. Their people are magnificent, intelligent, and just like us in many cases. Hell, they even get all ideological, like Joel O'Steen and such. Let's trade some curry and hookahs for blue jeans, and call off the war, k?
When will the government learn that about the only way people continue to be oppressed through governments is poverty, lack of information, and brainwashing. By allowing citizens of countries with oppressive governments to be opened to art, music, literature, communication and visitors from the "free" world, it will inspire citizens to rebel. Selfishness is a virtue, it helps keep a sane government if there is at least some communication with the outside world. If we would flood Cuba with American tourists, artists, musicians, and brought them computers, cell phones, etc. chances are the dictatorship would fall (mostly because Cuba is well within travel distance from the US, and while some other "free" countries allow travel/etc to Cuba like Canada, they lack the -very- close distance).
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
You're talking about government. The US government in particular. The day they change the law because they "realize it's stupid", pigs will fly in line abreast over the Capitol.
The only time the law changes is when there is an advantage for those in power to do so (e.g. more money, more power, avoiding a nation-wide civil revolt, etc..) The question, as always, is "qui bono"?
had you realized to do that sooner, like maybe 10 years ago, a lot might have changed in those countries by now.
Read radical news here
Awww, aren't your generalizations cute!
If I go a hundred years without hearing "The government sucks because the government sucks!", it still won't be enough.
Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
I would think that if your CDs are free, it's a gift and not really an export. I know many Cuban-Americans have been sending gifts to family in Cuba for years with no problems (at least, no problems on the US end).
Support Right To Repair Legislation.
The terrorists have won. Way to send us down the path of dhimmitude O'bama!
This is nice, guys, but when are we going to get rid of the brain-dead(*) restrictions on encryption software, already? As governments and ISPs all over the world have been demonstrating over the past few years, increasing computer power means it is steadily becoming easier to spy on and censor Internet users. To enable truly free communication in the face of a repressive government requires people to defend themselves, through anonymity software such as Tor, Freenet, and I2P, not to mention strong web and email encryption. If the US wants to encourage freedom of speech, it should be promoting the distribution of these technologies, not outlawing their export.
Well, we can hope. This seems to be a small step in the right direction.
(*) Yes, brain-dead; you'd have to be an idiot to think these restrictions do anything to keep encryption software out of terrorists' hands. All they accomplish is to make it more difficult for ordinary citizens of, say, Iran, to protect themselves from their government.
Have they? They say they did it to "foster free speech".
I have a different take.... isn't it so cute, they think they matter!
As if nobody in Iran has instant messaging because....the US government said it couldn't be exported. To even think that a change in US policy on these technologies could now, or ever, have any such effect is either naive to the point of being cute and deserving of a pat on the head.... or so myopic, that their heads must be elbow deep up their asses.
Somebody should give them a gold star for effort.
-Steve
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
The US isn't a perfect country. But when our presidential election results were disputed (Bush vs Gore) no one got beaten, killed, arrested, or severely harassed by the authorities.
Jesus, both of you need to just stop.
512 MB RAM, 20 GB disk, 200 GB transfer, five datacenters. $19.95/month.
Agreed :)
This is not about IM or gmail or some other shit like that - this is about anonymity software like haystack (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haystack_%28software%29) that has been designed to bypass filters and protect people from government surveillance that has been sitting and waiting to be released because of export restrictions that would make its release a crime. The authors have been loudly calling for this amendment for a while and I am glad that they finally got around to it. So instead of dissing the govt, you should be thanking them for doing the right thing, or at least righting a previous wrong.
Control is an illusion, order our comforting lie. From chaos, through chaos, into chaos we fly