Twitter and it's effect on political uprising.
If any of you use twitter please help the Iranian bloggers by changing your twitter settings so that your location is Tehran and your time zone is GMT +3.30. Security forces hunting for bloggers using location and timezone searches. If we are all 'Iranians' it's much harder to find them.
The Iranian government is finding out the hard lesson that the internet is far to complex and powerful of a social tool to possibly stop dissemination of information. If a million people gather for a rally you can put money one someone twittering about it. I don't care if you cut the phone lines, I don't care if you jam satellites, I don't care if you shut down ISPs. The internet is so vast and complex that any one country cannot possibly cut its usage for a informed public. China has been learning about that ever since they put up the great firewall of china.
The problem with being 20 years behind the times is that technology is moving at a exponential rate. 20 years ago cutting the phone lines would have been perfectly fine for control of information and propaganda. Which is why I believe that supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei came out in favor of recounts. He saw the way the wind is blowing and he knows that if he doesn't bend to the will of the people it is his head that is next on the chopping block. Though it is really to bad that all this is over a figure head position anyway. But maybe something good will eventually come of this. A sane Iran would be a boon to the most turbulent region of the world....but I don't think I'll hold my breath.
Also I would just like to say I'm infinitely grateful the the US for electing Obama. His measured response with the knowledge of Iran/US past relations is exactly what was needed of him. McCain's rush to condemn the elections as a fraud may be accurate, but it would do nothing but galvanize the sections of Iran that have such low opinions of us. By stepping back and allowing Iran to change without interference is giving the reformists their greatest chance of success.
The Iranian government is finding out the hard lesson that the internet is far to complex and powerful of a social tool to possibly stop dissemination of information. If a million people gather for a rally you can put money one someone twittering about it. I don't care if you cut the phone lines, I don't care if you jam satellites, I don't care if you shut down ISPs. The internet is so vast and complex that any one country cannot possibly cut its usage for a informed public. China has been learning about that ever since they put up the great firewall of china.
The problem with being 20 years behind the times is that technology is moving at a exponential rate. 20 years ago cutting the phone lines would have been perfectly fine for control of information and propaganda. Which is why I believe that supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei came out in favor of recounts. He saw the way the wind is blowing and he knows that if he doesn't bend to the will of the people it is his head that is next on the chopping block. Though it is really to bad that all this is over a figure head position anyway. But maybe something good will eventually come of this. A sane Iran would be a boon to the most turbulent region of the world....but I don't think I'll hold my breath.
Also I would just like to say I'm infinitely grateful the the US for electing Obama. His measured response with the knowledge of Iran/US past relations is exactly what was needed of him. McCain's rush to condemn the elections as a fraud may be accurate, but it would do nothing but galvanize the sections of Iran that have such low opinions of us. By stepping back and allowing Iran to change without interference is giving the reformists their greatest chance of success.