Iran's bloggers thrive despite blocks

Antaletriangle · 12-15-2008, 04:24 PM

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7782771.stm
Iran has one of the most vibrant blogging communities in the world - despite government boasts that it blocks five million websites. The BBC's Jon Leyne in Tehran is spending the day with bloggers to see what makes them tick.

Send Jon your questions for the bloggers

Tehran blogger Jadi says his website is blocked inside Iran

With much of the official media controlled by the government or hardline conservatives, the internet has become the favoured way of communicating for Iran's well-educated and inquisitive younger generation.

Go online in Iran and you will find blogs or websites covering every topic under the sun.

Politics, of course, but also the arts, Hollywood cinema, women's issues, women's sport, pop music. Whisper it quietly, there is even an online dating scene in the Islamic Republic.

Day-by-day there is an intriguing cyber-war, as the government wrestles for control of the internet, and Iran's bloggers wrestle it back.

Iran hosts around 65,000 bloggers, and has around 22 million internet users. Not bad for a country in which some remote areas do not yet have mains electricity.

Even some journalists who work in the mainstream media use the internet to publish articles they can not get past their newspaper or programme editors, or the official censors.

Blogosphere targeted

The real attraction for bloggers, in this claustrophobic political climate, is that someone is listening.

That is the view of Seyed Vahid Aqili, assistant professor of mass communications as Islamic Azad University in Tehran.

"The young generation now have access to the world, to express their ideas and their beliefs and their attitudes. The internet is a good vehicle to let people express themselves," he says.

Life online in Iran is simply completely divorced from anything you see or hear in the official media

Even on the internet, though, free speech in Iran is limited.

Amir used to write a political blog. While he insists he did not include anything "offensive", one day he switched on his computer, to find his blog had been blocked by the authorities, just for daring to discuss politics.

To get around the restrictions, many websites are forced regularly to change their internet address.

Internet users in Iran learn to download anti-filtering software and other technology to beat the restrictions.

Authorities worried

There are also some recent reports of bloggers having been arrested, though the facts are hard to pin down.

And a few months ago, parliament began considering a law that could impose the death penalty on bloggers found guilty of using the web to spread corruption, prostitution or apostasy.

It is not clear what progress the bill has made.

Yet, sometimes government attempts to control the internet are strangely half-hearted.

An ordinance recently urging bloggers to register with the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance was quietly dropped after few people complied.

President Ahmadinejad has his own blog

Perhaps the authorities realise that screwing the lid down too tight could be counter-productive.

Nevertheless the authorities are clearly worried by the impact of the internet on the Islamic society and culture they work to foster.

In a recent publication, the Revolutionary Guards complained of "internet imperialism" and warned that the CIA was trying to use the internet to provoke a "velvet revolution" in Iran.

They accused international media, including the BBC, CNN and The New York Times, as being part of this conspiracy.

Yet the striking thing about the internet in Iran is how un-political it is.

Life online in Iran is simply completely divorced from anything you see or hear in the official media.

"The majority of blogs focus on social matters, art topics, personal diaries, poems, and commentary on topics ranging from arts to cinema and music," said Dr Aqili.

"Most bloggers just want to express their ideas and their private lives to their friends," said Amir.

"It's something the youth in Iran need, because they do not have any special entertainment or hobby. And they cannot say anything freely."

'Devil's instrument'

But even if there is no direct political threat to the government, what takes place on the Iranian internet does provide a fascinating commentary on Iranian society.

It is not a picture the defenders of the revolution may be so happy about.

Take pop and rock music. Playing the electric guitar in public is banned (the devil's instrument!). Singing in English is a definite No. As for women singing solo - forget about it.

So all of this has gone underground, online.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards are to get their own blogs

The hundreds or possibly thousands of Iranian bands distribute their music on the internet, with everything from heavy metal to trance music. And everyday you can hear the music played on tape machines in taxis across Tehran.

Not that Iran's rock music generation have a monopoly on the internet.

The government recently announced plans to launch 10,000 weblogs for 10,000 bases of the Basij - the militia arm of the Revolutionary Guards.

Already the religious capital of Qom is one of the best connected cities in Iran. Clerics research Islam, and publish their findings on numerous religious websites.

The government also promotes its ideas on the web. News about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad often emerges first on his own personal website.

Iran has often lived under a siege mentality since the Islamic Revolution three decades ago.

Satellite TV dishes are banned. International credit cards are useless in the country. Political, religious and military leaders caution the dangers from abroad, and warn of the danger of attack.

Yet at the same time Iranians are fascinated by the rest of the world, and cherish their contact with foreigners. Never more so than in Iran's flourishing internet culture.

Dantheman62 · 12-15-2008, 04:54 PM

Hey A, I noticed we don't have,or had, any members from Russia either, is there a reason? I'm an idiot when it comes to computers and the internet.

ucan · 12-15-2008, 08:20 PM

It's probably because they speak Russian - I know that might sound silly, but the english internet is not so appealing to non-english speaking people. I would like to see more languages represented here - but thats up to the users!

This is great news though - I love hearing stuff like that.

Iran has always been a bit extreme when it comes to internet usage (not as bad a china though) they were going to shut down the internet in the country during the election...

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/...ica/tehran.php

but believe me - there's always a way out - believe it or not the last line of defense within the tcp/ip protocol is actually carrier pigeons...

I remember when the internet was jiffy bags and floppy discs

keeping the scene alive...

EDIT:
there used to be a network called FIDONET - which used to operate over phone lines and would update between the peers over night when it was cheep - it wouldn't surprise me if we'd have to revert to these techniques one day..

burgundia · 12-15-2008, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dantheman62

I'm an idiot when it comes to computers and the internet.

so am I.

burgundia · 12-15-2008, 08:52 PM

A lot of people in russia speak English. They just don't know about this site I guess.

Dantheman62 · 12-15-2008, 08:56 PM

HaHa yeah I guess you're right ucan, I just figured that there would be enough english speaking Russians that some of them might be around here, but maybe not. Do they teach english in Poland burgundia? I know they do in Romania according to a member that use to be on here.

12-15-2008, 04:24 PM	#1
Antaletriangle Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: U.K. Posts: 3,380	Iran's bloggers thrive despite blocks http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7782771.stm Iran has one of the most vibrant blogging communities in the world - despite government boasts that it blocks five million websites. The BBC's Jon Leyne in Tehran is spending the day with bloggers to see what makes them tick. Send Jon your questions for the bloggers Tehran blogger Jadi says his website is blocked inside Iran With much of the official media controlled by the government or hardline conservatives, the internet has become the favoured way of communicating for Iran's well-educated and inquisitive younger generation. Go online in Iran and you will find blogs or websites covering every topic under the sun. Politics, of course, but also the arts, Hollywood cinema, women's issues, women's sport, pop music. Whisper it quietly, there is even an online dating scene in the Islamic Republic. Day-by-day there is an intriguing cyber-war, as the government wrestles for control of the internet, and Iran's bloggers wrestle it back. Iran hosts around 65,000 bloggers, and has around 22 million internet users. Not bad for a country in which some remote areas do not yet have mains electricity. Even some journalists who work in the mainstream media use the internet to publish articles they can not get past their newspaper or programme editors, or the official censors. Blogosphere targeted The real attraction for bloggers, in this claustrophobic political climate, is that someone is listening. That is the view of Seyed Vahid Aqili, assistant professor of mass communications as Islamic Azad University in Tehran. "The young generation now have access to the world, to express their ideas and their beliefs and their attitudes. The internet is a good vehicle to let people express themselves," he says. Life online in Iran is simply completely divorced from anything you see or hear in the official media Even on the internet, though, free speech in Iran is limited. Amir used to write a political blog. While he insists he did not include anything "offensive", one day he switched on his computer, to find his blog had been blocked by the authorities, just for daring to discuss politics. To get around the restrictions, many websites are forced regularly to change their internet address. Internet users in Iran learn to download anti-filtering software and other technology to beat the restrictions. Authorities worried There are also some recent reports of bloggers having been arrested, though the facts are hard to pin down. And a few months ago, parliament began considering a law that could impose the death penalty on bloggers found guilty of using the web to spread corruption, prostitution or apostasy. It is not clear what progress the bill has made. Yet, sometimes government attempts to control the internet are strangely half-hearted. An ordinance recently urging bloggers to register with the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance was quietly dropped after few people complied. President Ahmadinejad has his own blog Perhaps the authorities realise that screwing the lid down too tight could be counter-productive. Nevertheless the authorities are clearly worried by the impact of the internet on the Islamic society and culture they work to foster. In a recent publication, the Revolutionary Guards complained of "internet imperialism" and warned that the CIA was trying to use the internet to provoke a "velvet revolution" in Iran. They accused international media, including the BBC, CNN and The New York Times, as being part of this conspiracy. Yet the striking thing about the internet in Iran is how un-political it is. Life online in Iran is simply completely divorced from anything you see or hear in the official media. "The majority of blogs focus on social matters, art topics, personal diaries, poems, and commentary on topics ranging from arts to cinema and music," said Dr Aqili. "Most bloggers just want to express their ideas and their private lives to their friends," said Amir. "It's something the youth in Iran need, because they do not have any special entertainment or hobby. And they cannot say anything freely." 'Devil's instrument' But even if there is no direct political threat to the government, what takes place on the Iranian internet does provide a fascinating commentary on Iranian society. It is not a picture the defenders of the revolution may be so happy about. Take pop and rock music. Playing the electric guitar in public is banned (the devil's instrument!). Singing in English is a definite No. As for women singing solo - forget about it. So all of this has gone underground, online. Iran's Revolutionary Guards are to get their own blogs The hundreds or possibly thousands of Iranian bands distribute their music on the internet, with everything from heavy metal to trance music. And everyday you can hear the music played on tape machines in taxis across Tehran. Not that Iran's rock music generation have a monopoly on the internet. The government recently announced plans to launch 10,000 weblogs for 10,000 bases of the Basij - the militia arm of the Revolutionary Guards. Already the religious capital of Qom is one of the best connected cities in Iran. Clerics research Islam, and publish their findings on numerous religious websites. The government also promotes its ideas on the web. News about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad often emerges first on his own personal website. Iran has often lived under a siege mentality since the Islamic Revolution three decades ago. Satellite TV dishes are banned. International credit cards are useless in the country. Political, religious and military leaders caution the dangers from abroad, and warn of the danger of attack. Yet at the same time Iranians are fascinated by the rest of the world, and cherish their contact with foreigners. Never more so than in Iran's flourishing internet culture.

12-15-2008, 04:54 PM	#2
Dantheman62 Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: So. Cal. U.S. Posts: 4,205	Re: Iran's bloggers thrive despite blocks Hey A, I noticed we don't have,or had, any members from Russia either, is there a reason? I'm an idiot when it comes to computers and the internet.

12-15-2008, 08:20 PM	#3
ucan Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 85	Re: Iran's bloggers thrive despite blocks It's probably because they speak Russian - I know that might sound silly, but the english internet is not so appealing to non-english speaking people. I would like to see more languages represented here - but thats up to the users! This is great news though - I love hearing stuff like that. Iran has always been a bit extreme when it comes to internet usage (not as bad a china though) they were going to shut down the internet in the country during the election... http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/...ica/tehran.php but believe me - there's always a way out - believe it or not the last line of defense within the tcp/ip protocol is actually carrier pigeons... I remember when the internet was jiffy bags and floppy discs keeping the scene alive... EDIT: there used to be a network called FIDONET - which used to operate over phone lines and would update between the peers over night when it was cheep - it wouldn't surprise me if we'd have to revert to these techniques one day.. Last edited by ucan; 12-15-2008 at 08:23 PM.

12-15-2008, 08:52 PM	#5
burgundia Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Poland Posts: 3,442	Re: Iran's bloggers thrive despite blocks A lot of people in russia speak English. They just don't know about this site I guess.

12-15-2008, 08:56 PM	#6
Dantheman62 Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: So. Cal. U.S. Posts: 4,205	Re: Iran's bloggers thrive despite blocks HaHa yeah I guess you're right ucan, I just figured that there would be enough english speaking Russians that some of them might be around here, but maybe not. Do they teach english in Poland burgundia? I know they do in Romania according to a member that use to be on here.