Iran Claims Internet Restriction Reports Was a Hoax

According to certain sources, Reza Taghipur, Iranian minister of Information, Communications and Technology, announced Iran planned to ban general Internet service, blocking Gmail and Hotmail, and instead require its citizens to use a “national information network” where Iran Mail ID would be the primary e-mail service.

Internet is inappropriate for Islamic people, according to the Iranian Government. The report featured a quote from Taghipur that the Internet “promotes crime, disunity, unhealthy moral content and atheism.” There is a problem with this report, though, as Taghipur claims that it was a hoax and “completely baseless.” Others disagree.

A statement issued from the Iranian ministry suggests officials are not happy about the publicity generated from the media about the claim that Iran will restrict Internet access from its people. The ministry’s statement to the press regarding the report inculpates that the false report stems from "the propaganda wing of the West and [is] providing its hostile media with a pretext emanating from a baseless claim."

There is some evidence, however, that encourages thoughts that may have led to the conclusion that Iran plans to modify conventional Internet use. The report may not have been “completely baseless,” as Iran currently censors its 33 million users, and last February placed limitations on Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo.

A “national information network” is also currently in the works as an Islamic-appropriate alternative to the Internet. Taghipour, himself, announced the network project would be completed by March of next year. Taghipour has not commented on whether the new service will be a choice for Iran.

Taghipour’s concerns to protect his nation’s morality from Internet exposure may bring to mind stories about Indonesia’s communications minister, Titaful Sembiring, who has been featured in articles following global censorship issues. Unlike sex-tape scandals involving U.S. celebrities, similar scandals in Indonesia could lead to 12-year prison sentence for parties involved in uploading the pornographic videos. After one such incident called “Peterporn,” Sembiring proposed an Internet blacklist which was supported by Indonesia’s president.