Iran Extends Social Media Crackdown With Move To Bar Instagram (bloomberg.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: Authorities in Iran are preparing to block access to Instagram, extending their crackdown on social media to the only major platform still freely available. The National Cyberspace Council approved steps toward blocking the service, Javad Javidnia, deputy for cyberspace affairs at the public prosecutor's office, was cited as saying by the semi-official Donya-e Eqtesad newspaper. Instagram would join Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Telegram in being banned in the Islamic Republic, ostensibly for reasons of national security.

Despite the restrictions, Iranians including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif continue to use the services, which are widely accessible via proxy servers. Rouhani's verified Twitter account has over 800,000 followers. Javidnia said efforts to filter Instagram hadn't worked. While judicial and political officials involved were yet to reach a consensus on barring the site, the prosecutor can take a unilateral decision to do so, he said.

Comments

Can we change the subject to America, please?

[DNS-and-BIND]

I know this is about Iran, but I'd like to change the subject to how awful AmeriKKKa is and how much censoring we do. Deal? Nobody talk about Iran.

Better be careful

[bobstreo]

If you block access to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Telegram, the people of your country may come out of their Internet induced comas, and have the time and energy to realize they should create a better country.

Thank goodness that would never happen in the U.S. /s

That's nothing

[Locke2005]

They've also banned having sex standing up, because they are afraid it will lead to dancing!

Re: America is heading down the same road

[Locke2005]

"Buttery males!"

Re: America is heading down the same road

[Locke2005]

Hating both is both okay and perfectly natural! Hillary Clinton, the first 100% charisma free candidate, and Donald Trump, the first candidate absolute unencumbered by any sense of ethics whatsoever! What's not to hate?

Re: America is heading down the same road

[Locke2005]

So, insulting people you don't know makes you exactly like Donald Trump? Yep, sounds right to me!

Sure

[rsilvergun]

Iran was well on it's way to secularizing before we put a fanatical right wing whack job in power because we didn't want them keeping their oil (which rightfully belonged to American corporations and the American ruling class). Then when it came time to throw those bums out the only place to foment a revolution was in mosques so we wound up with more right wing whack jobs with the added bonus of being completely batshit religiously insane. We did the same in South America (the guy who started MS-13 did so in America with training from our CIA) and Afghanistan (we created the Taliban).

Go Team America!

Re:Sure

[DNS-and-BIND]

"We" didn't do that, it was the CIA. It didn't ask the elected government for permission, it just did it. Much like it, still today, doesn't bother to ask the elected government or God forbid the people.

But thanks for heeding my request and changing the topic away from Iran's censorship into the same boilerplate hate for America. That means a lot.

Who cares?

[wyattstorch516]

There is no way to blame this on Donald Trump so I doubt you will see many comments on this board.

Maybe a few people will come along with "What about Saudi Arabia?" arguments.

Re:Who cares?

[AHuxley]

The more the gov bans the internet, the more people will want the freedoms of a CIA backed internet.
Bans just make what is banned more interesting.
People at home, distracted by the free internet is better than people at home with free hours working on how to protest.
Embrace the calming and distracting aspect of the internet.
Give academic work filling the internet with Persian culture.
Let the internet stay open and track all its users.
Average people will spend hours watching video clips.
The politically minded will use the internet to try and communicate.
Watch as the CIA attempt another color revolution. Watch as the CIA funds the spreading of socialist ideology.
Some parallel construction and people would still "trust" the internet. Its always an informant, not the failed crypto :)
Now people know the gov is tracking the net. The most easy way to track all emerging dissidents is lost to the gov.

so just to be clear

[cascadingstylesheet]

So just to be clear ... Iran is an actual theocracy.

Not just a "theocracy" like as a slam against your political opponents, not an imaginary theocracy like your Handmaid Tale crap, Iran is an actual theocracy.

There is nothing surprising about this at all.