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Government Oppression of the Day:
Yesterday, we reported that the Iranian government is planning to wall-off much of the country’s online access with a major censorship effort they are dubbing, “Halal Internet.”
Today, the Ugandan government, facing social unrest over high food and fuel prices, will order its ISPs to block Twitter and Facebook. Read the full story here.
“Oh, hey guys remember that thing called the Internet? Yeah… well never mind about that. You just keep going about your day. It’s still out there of course, but you probably shouldn’t pay that much attention to it.” With Love, Your Gov.
The Iranian government, wary from the internet-driven 2009 demonstrations and the recent Arab revolutions, is planning to wall-off much of the country’s online access. A high-ranking Iranian official has their new solution: A “Halal Internet” that will run as a nationwide intranet and be subject to extensive censorship.
According to Iranian Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs Ali Agha Mohammadi, the ”Halal Internet” project is expected to be completed in 18 months (Persian language link). Mohammadi explicitly cited China’s extensive internet controls as an inspiration for the project, which will be completed with the help of what the Minister calls “foreign consultants.”
