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Censorship Government United States Politics Your Rights Online

Iran Shuts Down US Virtual Embassy 451

bonch writes "Less than 12 hours after the U.S. launched a virtual embassy for Iran, the Iranian government blocked access to the website, directing visitors to a government page proclaiming the site illegal. The White House condemned the move, calling Iran's internet policies 'an electronic curtain of surveillance and censorship around its people.'"
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Iran Shuts Down US Virtual Embassy

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  • by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 07, 2011 @10:14PM (#38299018)

    for political reasons.

    Unless it wanted to [nytimes.com], of course.

    • We ARE the new NAZI Germany! The sixth reich. There's nothing you can do to stop us. We know all of the important people and we're widespread enough to Co-opt you though soft or hard means. Our military-industrial complex, along with our bankers, rule you.

      We can manufacture rationale for any war, and everybody else is bought off to approve our wars! The UN is the macrocosmic result of rampant greed and riches. We can kill you from hundreds or even thousands of miles away, and your family can't do shit
  • Pot, meet kettle. (Score:5, Informative)

    by CFBMoo1 ( 157453 ) on Wednesday December 07, 2011 @10:22PM (#38299090) Homepage
    SOPA -> http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-11-17/news/30412322_1_ip-act-rogue-websites-sopa

    Laundry list of past attempts -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_the_United_States
    (CDA, COPA, DMCA, COPPA, CIPA, COICA, and my favorite named DOPA.)
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by bonch ( 38532 )

      So it seems the angle for the comments to this story will be about trying to act super-enlightened by "turning the tables" and criticizing America. This is a very popular route to take on web forums, because the inherent contrarianism of bashing the country you live in is supposed to mean you are smarter than the lesser citizens around you. Since Slashdot is full of really smart people who know everything about the world--especially politics--I look forward to the insightful discussions to come (much of it

  • Is the issue

    Only any idiot would confuse that with censoring anything. EVERY govt will censor something. It is censoring political expression that is the problem

    Everybody understands that right?

    Right?

    • EVERY govt will censor something. It is censoring political expression that is the problem

      By definition, every act of government is a political act, therefore all content censored by them was censored for political reasons and thus is political content. Furthermore, I don't care at all if Time Cube Party can air their propaganda or not, while I care a lot if I can't access Wikipedia because some asshole is trying to cover up something.

      When did politics turn from merely making common decisions to some kind

  • We've gone from confronting an Iron Curtain to an Electronic Curtain!
  • by br00tus ( 528477 ) on Wednesday December 07, 2011 @10:28PM (#38299134)
    In a US prison rots Javed Iqbal. Who is Javed Iqbal? He is a satellite dish installer who let people see [nytimes.com] Al-Manar television. Al-Manar is associated with Hezbollah (which as Shia, are associated with Iran, and the US government constantly links Hezbollah and Iran in statements). So how is the US throwing people getting news from Iranian, and Iranian-allied sources good, yet Iran doing the same thing is "an electronic curtain of surveillance and censorship"?
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      The funny thing about all of this is that Iran is just a place name to most people in the U.S. and about as real as Neverland or Hy-Brasil. They have a concept of Iran, but that's about it. If you're Iranian, you don't exist, in their heads, and so what happens to you *doesn't matter*.

  • America Creates Virtual Embassy To Piss Off Iran!

    Iran Blocks American Virtual Embassy Forthwith!

    White House Cries Foul! Why Are Iran Such Meanies? !!1

    Readers Vote, We Report:

    [1] Iran Are Meanies
    [2] This Response Was Obvious, And Iran Are Still Meanies

  • punishment (Score:2, Funny)

    by minderaser ( 28934 )

    Those Iranians need to have their mouths washed out with SOPA.

  • by IonOtter ( 629215 ) on Wednesday December 07, 2011 @10:36PM (#38299198) Homepage

    ...one might say, "Well, that was quick?".

    But I think in this case, it's more appropriate to say, "What took them so long?"

    The young generation of Iran certainly doesn't have much of a beef with the US, and by all accounts, would just assume we got along with each other, each in our own respective neighborhoods.

    But the older folks, both there and here, still remember that we hate each other, for good reasons, bad reasons and LOTS of lies.

  • by DigiTechGuy ( 1747636 ) on Wednesday December 07, 2011 @10:40PM (#38299240)
    "an electronic curtain of surveillance and censorship around its people." ... Kind of like what the government is doing here in the States? The Patriot Act just kicked it into overdrive. Bill of Rights? Think you have those natural rights? Your government has taken them away and will do terrible things to you if you exercise those rights.
  • by EricX2 ( 670266 ) on Thursday December 08, 2011 @01:34AM (#38300124) Homepage Journal

    I am a time traveler from the future and where I come from people understand that the internet is a place to get information designed specifically for you by the people you pay taxes to. Other governments are all bad, and we don't dare cross IP borders... especially since they implemented IP v1984 and all networks only have access to their own IP segments and all traffic on said segments route through a connection direct to the government run 'packet enhancer'. It's fun and safe!

  • by Arancaytar ( 966377 ) <arancaytar.ilyaran@gmail.com> on Thursday December 08, 2011 @03:16AM (#38300496) Homepage

    And I don't blame Iran either. Iranian politics may range from backward through stupid to evil, but their jingoism is carefully stoked and fueled by the US, and this move is just the latest of that.

    This wasn't diplomacy, and it wasn't an embassy, virtual or otherwise. An embassy's job is to interact and negotiate with the Iranian government on behalf of the US, not "inform" Iranian citizens of what the US government thinks about the Iranian government. Calling it an embassy is an insult.

    Real diplomacy would require an actual conversation between US and Iranian leadership, with both sides coming to a table ready to make concessions and compromises. And setting up a real embassy would require sending a real ambassador to Iran. Doing either of these would require balls, both for the US and Iran. That'd be a courageous foreign policy. If the US were to propose this to Iran, it would likely be rejected (especially now), but making the offer at all would be radical progress.

  • by 3seas ( 184403 ) on Thursday December 08, 2011 @08:31AM (#38302068) Homepage Journal

    The US does this, IRAN does that, CHINA does this other....

    When the hell are people gonna wake up and realize these are not countries they are governments which are a great deal smaller than the number of people living in a bordered land mass.

    When you remove the soldier pawns and any other pawns what you have left is something less than 1%.

    I find it very insulting to know that stories are being written insinuating I'\m part of some psychopathic collective.

    I am not part of that crap and I'm certain I share this sentiment with a large majority of people on this planet.

  • by Greyfox ( 87712 ) on Thursday December 08, 2011 @10:02AM (#38302890) Homepage Journal
    Ok, that's it! I'm firing up battlefield and invading Tehran! Too bad no Iranians can stop me! Muahahahaha!

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