Scratch the World Wide Web: Iran Has Its Own Plans for the Internet

Jessica Zuckerman / June 06, 2011

For the masses in repressive regimes like Iran, the Internet represents the last bastion of freedom of expression—but not for long.

Early this year, Iran announced its plan to create a cyber army, 25,000 strong, to strengthen state control of the Internet. But why should the Iranian government waste its time controlling and filtering the Internet when it can create its own? Scratch the World Wide Web—here comes the Iranian Wide Web.

While Iran was once a leader in Internet access in the Middle East—it was the first Muslim nation in the region to jump online—it has since become no stranger to the suppression of Internet freedom. Recently, for the second time in a row, Freedom House gave Iran’s Internet access a rating of “Not Free,” and Reporters Without Borders listed the country as an “Internet Enemy.” Yet this latest move on the part of Iran takes its notorious state Internet control another step—or rather leap—further. (more…)