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.

Comments

I'll be impressed

[rsilvergun]

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.

Re:Iran is about Iran, not about the USA

[cheesyweasel]

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.