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.
Like the previous administration didn't meddle in overseas affairs too... They may have had a different perspective on when it was appropriate and in the USA's interest, but they meddled a LOT in various things going on overseas. It's pretty much been the case since the USA came into existence in the 1700's where we got involved in various conflicts that didn't directly involve us.
"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
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
... 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).
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.
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.
The current president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, is a moderate reformer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... How the fuck is a revolution going to make that situation better for the people of Iran or the stability of that region? This is clearly about the US working with the Saudis (who bombed the world trade center, which was used as a pretext to invade Iraq) and the geopolitical advantage the US has if they are allies with the Saudis, rather than allies of Iran (their protestant/catholic style enemy). It all boils down to the US worrying more about Russian influence in Iran, and countries closer to Russia, and trying to calm down the nutjob Saudis, while also keeping Israel happy so they don't have to stockpile more nuclear bombs. Isn't it about time we show countries like Russia that we can be more functional if we focus on fixing our democracies? Civil discourse, civil engagement rather than this individualistic meltdown that our society is currently experiencing. Maybe then we can show that the world that you don't need a strongman to run a country. Short answer.. fuck this world, fuck its leaders and its uninformed self-centered public.
If that is true, when are the US sanctions against Saudi Arabia announced?
I'll be more impressed when the US starts calling out Saudi Arabia or Bahrain. Or apologizes for the military dictatorships it sponsored in Latin America for decades.