Slashdot Mirror
US Calls On Iran To Unblock Social Media Sites Amid Protests (go.com)
The Trump administration is calling on the government of Iran to stop blocking Instagram and other social media sites while encouraging Iranians to use special software to circumvent controls. "The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years," President Trump tweeted yesterday. "They are hungry for food & for freedom. Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. Time for change!" ABC News reports: Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein, in charge of public diplomacy, said the U.S. wants Iran's government to "open these sites" including the photo-sharing platform Instagram and the messaging app Telegram. "They are legitimate avenues for communication," Goldstein said. "People in Iran should be able to access those sites." Iranians seeking to evade the blocks can use virtual private networks, Goldstein said. Known as VPNs, the services create encrypted data "tunnels" between computers and are used in many countries to access overseas websites blocked by the local government. Despite the blocks, the United States is working to maintain communication with Iranians in the Farsi language, including through official accounts on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. The State Department also was to distribute videos of top U.S. officials encouraging the protesters through those and other sites.
wonder where does the "Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein" stand on government backdoors to encryption.
What others does the USA have?
" The State Department also was to distribute videos of top U.S. officials encouraging the protesters through those and other sites" yeah I can't imagine such an endorsement being appreciated, after the coup of 53, the later revolution, and the quite obvious sign that Iranian at large did not forget who put Shah in power , heck by their own admission in 2013 by the C fucking IA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/....
So how about you butt out the fuck of that country internal affair ? Or are "interference" with a country internal affair only bad when it is the US internal affair being interfered ?
Couldn't the Iranian government just claim they detected foreign countries attempting to influence last year's election via social media, and use that as U.S.-proof justification for blocking access to social media sites? I mean I know it'd be ridiculous. But that's why censorship is a very slippery slope.
With the US request, and five dollars, you can still get a cup of Starbucks.
This is a dictatorial Islamic Republic, in crisis. The squelching of dissent alone guarantees these sites remain as closed as Jimmy Hoffa's eyes.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
Our ignorance about Iran is overwhelming. How many times have we heard news reports about what "The Government" in Iran is doing without even mentioning that there are two governments in Iran. The (fairly) democratic one and the repressive Islamic one. Without understanding that, and the resulting conflicts, you understand nothing about Iran.
Ignorant vitriol from the US and Trump does not help the difficult situation on Iran. But they are not meant to. Their purpose is purely to whip up ignorant anger in the US.
If you think that Iran will willingly let this unrestricted social media thing happen, you are sadly mistaken. Those in control in Iran are not interested in open debate or listening to protestor's complaints.
I suppose you can ask nicely, but if you know the answer is going to be no, why bother?
"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
... as it took only one day of the new censorship tool "Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz" until the first Tweets with government-critical content were deleted based on it (under the allegation they would be hate speech, the new one-fits-all word to criminalize public dissent).
The Trump administration is calling on the government of Iran to stop blocking Instagram and other social media sites while encouraging Iranians to use special software to circumvent controls.
Meanwhile, Iranians are calling on the government of America to start blocking Trump from Twitter and other social media sites while encouraging Americans to use the "block" button to remove him from their feeds.
Why do we have to call on them to do anything? For once, can we just shut the fuck up and let others deal with things as they see fit.
When we say the same thing to the Saudies. Until then this is just another example of an unpopular administration trying to start a preemptive war with a nation that posses little or no threat to the nation.
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
The USA "preaches" to other nations as if it's never done anything to stifle "free speech and expression" in areas under its jurisdiction.
Don't we all remember what happened to the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations?
For those that do not remember, folks engaged in these protests were all evicted.
Why would the US government really care about Iranians access to social media?
If Instragram, Facebook et al didn't all happen to be US businesses wuld they still give a shit?. Either that or they perceive a high value to the pro-US agenda brainwashing being actively pushed through such channels.
Ignorant vitriol from the US and Trump does not help the difficult situation on Iran.
You see a guy laying in the street bleeding, best just to avert your eyes and move along, right?
Ignoring Iranian protests was what Obama did years ago, how well did that work? Protestors killed, the silence from the outside world ensured defeat and brutal submission.
Even if you are not going to get involved just a word of support can mean a world of difference to fragile movements.
It is time to stop letting the men, and especially WOMEN of Iran suffer any longer under the hands of true tyranny. The benefits of a truly democratic and free Iran would be massive, from a huge reduction in terrorists around the world to removing another backer of North Korea (but then I repeat myself).
I have a friend from Iran, the people of Iran are really different than the government that oversees them. If they were free to do as they like I think it could honestly lead to a renaissance across the Middle East, instead of the endless quagmire we have today. Time for real change.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Your post provides good support of my original comment. You have no idea about Iran, yet strong feelings. You are probably unaware, for example, that the USA actively supported Iraq in the war against Iran in which over a million people were killed, many by Iraqi poison gas. The point being that while those demonstrators want change, you can be sure that none of them see the USA as a beacon of light and democracy, instead, vitriol from Trump really helps the religious reactionary's cause.
As to North Korea, yes, should be dealt with far more forcefully, which means dealing with the USA's banker, China. But you are also probably unaware that N Korea was actually under control under Clinton. It was when Bush went to Iraq that the N Koreans saw their opportunity. And then, of course, Obama did nothing. And Trump will do nothing either except bluster, which may ultimately end up with a very bad result.
SeriI us question, How much do they pay you to shill?
Meanwhile, the trump crime family shovels cash payouts from their new tax bill into the van, and trump jr pours lighter fluid on the Constitution and burns it in the driveway....
Same old, same old...
are you working for the same organization that pays the NY Times to shill for Iran?
So because the US supported Iraq decades ago, we shouldn't support Iranian citizens now?
Are you really that fucking stupid? You're incoherent.
... much?
It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
... since early 1979."
Super Dipolamtic Powers...Activ...oh, nevermind. :-(
Awk! Pieces of eight. Pieces of eight. Pieces of seven... ERROR: General Protection Fault. [Paroty Error.]
Since becoming losers in early1979.
FTFY
Gotta love that Neocon foreign policy eh?
from Iran, this would be a great time to drive a bargain.
In general you don't want to bargain with a regime that is too secure to feel the need to compromise. But it's a mistake to think you want to deal with a weak, insecure regime. Such a regime can't afford to be seen as compromising. What you want is someone who desperately needs a win, even a small one.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
I think Trump could do better if he had a sense of humor. Let's face it, his official rebuke of this situation won't mean anything to the people in Iran that are making the decision to shut off access to social media. What if instead, he said nothing about it. I would bet that there would be people, even here in this forum, that would claim that "Once again! The US is backing a corrupt Iranian regime!"
You are probably unaware, for example, that the USA actively supported Iraq in the war against Iran
I know all of that and more, and like I said I actually have friends FROM Iran, and I followed the Iran/Iraq war far more closely than you could ever dream of. What makes you think your own knowledge is especially deep? It certainly does not seem at all well informed by history, by the way people were there before Islamist rule (and yes I ALSO know the part the U.S. played there, which doesn't make trying to fix things now wrong).
But you are also probably unaware that N Korea was actually under control under Clinton.
I am defiantly not aware of other people's fantasies, I am aware of how long it takes to develop nuclear weapons and it's a lot longer than Trump has been president. So to claim she had it "handled" is so laughable it borders on the offensive, as Trump said it's not like NK is a recent problem - it's a problem that presidents have been shuffling under teh rug for 30-40 years and the bill has come do. Just because Clinton had slightly better taste in rugs does not excuse that, among many other, crimes against humanity directly attributable to her actions.
I'll let you have the last word since you have entered the realm of abject fantasy.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Iran is not the only country practicing censorship
Facebook, Twitter and Google are American companies AND THEY PRACTICES CENSORSHIP !!
If you want Iran to take down their censorship, STOP CENSORSHIP IN AMERICA FIRST !!
Holy mackerel! Think of all the Scrabble points you'd earn from that word.
but they're not necessarily good people. I'd like to see my country really stand up for freedom. And to do that we have to do it everywhere. And not by declaring anyone an "enemy". That's not going to help. Better to lead by example. Don't attack unless your attacked. Demand human rights from our trading partners and our allies. And no, just because you're not an ally doesn't mean you're an enemy.
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
69 points, excluding multiplier spaces and bingo.
While I admire the sentiment, what can we actually do that we are not already doing?
Invading won't work, it will just create another Iraq or Afghanistan.
Unfortunately you can't just make a country democratic, because the people will just vote for religious extremists. I think we may just have to accept that they will need to get there in their own time, with as much support from us as we can offer.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Not really anything to do with the new law. She is under criminal investigation, so even before for tweets would have been removed, at least until the investigation / prosecution ends.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
The point of the UN is to handle crap like this so the country if interest can't say "Trump is bullying me". Please stop talking directly to Iran and get the UN to pressure the idiots. And keep pushing until the fucking UN actually does something worthwhile.
While I admire the sentiment, what can we actually do that we are not already doing?
The governments of the world can do what the US and Israel (and probably other countries now) are doing - express support, so that if there is a regime change the protestors will know some countries will be willing to help them.
That's not invasion, just providing a sounds base for the government to change according to people's wishes.
We can also call out violations of basic rights - like the protestors that are being shot. Let the soldiers taking orders know that actions they take have the eye of the world on them and they may be paying for it later. Let the government know that actions like this will have consequences in trade and diplomacy with other countries.
Unfortunately you can't just make a country democratic, because the people will just vote for religious extremists
That is where you severely misunderstand the people of Iran. If they were allowed to truly vote they would NOT be voting in religious extremists. Most Iranians are not that religious, search Twitter for the many examples of how open and free the people of Iran were before the government was taken over by extremists.
You don't get as widespread protests as we are seeing from a people who just want to vote the same government back into power!
I think we may just have to accept that they will need to get there in their own time
I am accepting that maybe the time is now, if they believe they have support from the outside to demand real change. It is up to them but it is hard to escape a tyrant without help.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Made poorer by US sanctions.
The real reason Israel and its client state USA are against nuclear deal is because they prefer to keep Iran down to keep them poor so they will have less power and resources with which to screw with KSA so Trump pulling this shit is quite amusing.
KSA is a belligerent oil cursed nation of inbred (Provable fact) backwards lunatics who until recently would not even let women drive. The same dotards who export terrorism globally via radicalization mills known as madrassas.
Iran has more than its share of nutcases running things yet at least Iran is a real functioning country with a more or less normal modern society.
Israel and her client state USA is on the wrong side of the cold war between Iran and KSA.
You're talking about this von Storch tweet?
How 'bout we export her wholesale to the US, the Land Of The Brave And The Free?
We don't need her here.
(Captcha: "customs")
It's not possible. Not enough Z-tiles. Scrabble tile letter distribution is as follows:
A-9, B-2, C-2, D-4, E-12, F-2, G-3, H-2, I-9, J-1, K-1, L-4, M-2, N-6, O-8, P-2, Q-1, R-6, S-4, T-6, U-4, V-2, W-2, X-1, Y-2, Z-1 and Blanks-2.
Oh damn I'm wrong, there are enough blanks.
2017 Global Hunger Index (PDF) cites as a country with low hunger problems. As opposed to Afghanistan, Iraq and Lybia, for example.
is a more correct headline. Of course they would love that, so they could continue what they've been doing for the last few years. Not saying that the situation in Iran is OK, but when massive social unrest bubbles up in these places, you can bet that America and its terrorist organizations have a hand in the matters.
Oh damn I'm wrong, there are enough blanks.
But a Scrabble board is only 15 squares across, OPs word has 27 letters. I win today's scrabble nerd competition.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
I have no countermove to that! I hoped to play out my 'superscrabble' trump card but it only has 21x21 grid.
Get rid of the real problem- Israel.
On Iran, I'll just add that there is a general perception in the middle east that the US has double standards. That is, it occasionally acts with some conviction, but only seems to do in certain places. It doesn't use even 1/10th of that conviction with other players who do the same things (primarily because they appear to "play along" with US demands, trade, etc). As the US is also seen as "the west" (at least in part), it means that better behaved countries are "tarred with the same brush" (at least to some extent).
As noted above, the US (and others) have whipped up a certain amount of dissent in various nations, but then failed to back up the dissenters with anything meaningful. IMHO, only a complete spanner would now believe that they could protest in Iran and get anything more than some poor grammar in a tweet to back them up.
Iran will unblock Twitter when USA unblocks Kaspersky.
**Life is too short to be serious**
USA is so outraged by Russian interference in US elections. All Russia "allegedly" did was air Clinton's dirty laundry and post ads on facebook. They didnt change any votes or rig any voting machines or tell any lies, "again allegedly".
Yet USA is outraged and investigating and crippling a democratically elected President.
Yet Americans see no irony in trying to interfere in Iran's internal politics?
**Life is too short to be serious**
But you are also probably unaware that N Korea was actually under control under Clinton
You mean when we gave NK a ton of fuel/money, they promised to dismantle their stuff? How can you not remember the laughable UN inspection terms or how the head UN inspector was shitting on NK all the time for inspection impediment?
'Memba how US intelligence agencies concluded NK was still pursuing nukes by other means?
But ah - I walked into this one. You yourself are clearly providing evidence for your original comment.
It's sad that the USA has become the last bastion of freedom in the world. Freedom used to be loved by many and now they gladly relinquish it in the name of political correctness and security theater.
The UN can't be bothered with such things. There is a tweet going around highlighting that even the "UN Expert on human rights in Iran" has been silent on this matter.
If you think that the parliamentarian Mrs. Storch was the only victim already censored via the "Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz", you are under-informed. Multiple postings from comedians and satire magazines were equally silenced using the new censorship tool - read on e.g. here: http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt...
And even if only Mrs. Storch had been censored, it clearly shows that this is a tool of censorship, and nothing else. I hope the Bundesverfassungsgericht will stop that nonsense sooner or later.
What if Iran tells US to ratify https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_the_Rights_of_the_Child
#makeIranGreatAgain