Slashdot Mirror
U.S. Authorizes Sales of American Communication Tech To Iran
An anonymous reader writes "A report at SF Gate notes that 'The United States has lifted portions of two-decades-old sanctions against Iran in an effort to bolster communication between the country's citizens — and potentially aid organization against a repressive Iranian government. Thursday afternoon the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control authorized the sale of hardware and software that pertain to the Internet, instant messaging, chat, e-mail, social networking, sharing of media, and blogging — basically, all things digital. The Treasury Department wrote, 'As the Iranian government attempts to silence its people by cutting off their communication with each other and the rest of the world, the United States will continue to take action to help the Iranian people exercise their universal human rights, including the right to freedom of expression.'"
Do you have to pay extra to not have Stuxnet installed out-of-the-box?
Apparently wizard is not a legitimate career path, so I chose programmer instead.
>> U.S. Treasury Department: "universal human rights, including the right to freedom of expression"
The fine print: "...unless you advocate the rule of law based on the U.S. Constitution or the Bill of Rights."
You do realize this is simply a cold hearted attempt to bring Iran to it's knees. Hear me out ....
- Iran is subjected to crushing economic sanctions. Their economy makes Newark, NJ look like a paradise on earth.
- Now, Apple and Sony can dump their high priced, effete toys on a naive, unsuspecting populace.
- Billions of dollars flow outward from the Iran economy which, heretofore, had been largely supported by itinerant photoshop interns.
- Profit
- Iran collapses in a heap of shiny trinkets!
USA! USA! USA! (oh, and China...)
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!