Iran blocks Google, prepares domestic Internet system

Iran has not had the best relationships with the US in the past, and this would obviously trickle down to affect other American products such as the US dollar, Gmail and YouTube, among others. Well, you can make Google to be part of the list now, as there is word that Iran intends to transfer their citizens’ virtual connection to a domestic Internet network, which is part of a move that officials had taken with the intention to improve cyber security, but the folks on the ground, everyday Iranians, have the concern that this is just another method for the Iranian government to control their access to the Internet.

This particular announcement was relayed by a government deputy minister on Sunday, where it was delivered via state television, announcing that not only Google’s search engine, but its Gmail email service as well, would be blocked “within a few hours”. The official delivering the announcement continued, “Google and Gmail will be filtered throughout the country until further notice.” That’s a more soothing word than “indefinitely” for sure.

According to the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA), the ban on Google had plenty to do with the anti-Islamic film which was posted on the company’s YouTube site, where it has since resulted in outrage throughout majority of the Muslim world, but this is just speculation and not an official confirmation. Once the blockade is in place, the next step would be connect ordinary Iranians to the national network, and the entire shebang starts to sound as though Iran is adopting steps that North Korea has taken.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Computers
Tags: Google, iran