Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 29 January 2018

$ 10

After unrest, Iran seeks control through 'halal' internet

to communicate. But the Ahmadinejad, still nascent
block was only temporary: social media spread word
Business people quickly of the events among Ira-
complained over the shut- nians and brought videos
down of Telegram chan- of the shooting death of
nels they use to promote 26-year-old Neda Agha
and sell their goods. Soltan to the world.
As the Islamic Republic Since that unrest, Iran has
approaches the 40th an- barred Facebook, Twitter
niversary of the revolution and other sites along with
that brought it to power, it YouTube, which it had al-
is trying to reap the benefits ready been blocking.That
of a tool indispensable for has led to many Iranians
modern life, while keeping to use virtual private net-
a tight control over how works, or VPNs, to elude the
Iranians use it and what blocks.
information they receive. It was the policies of Presi-
Tehran's solution to exert dent Hasan Rouhani, a rel-
control over cyberspace ative moderate in the rul-
is by creating a so-called ing clerical establishment,
"halal net," a totally locally which allowed the prolifer-
controlled version of the in- ation of smart phones since
ternet. he came to office in 2014.
"The Islamic Republic is not Rouhani's aim was to pro-
black and white. It shows vide a tool for commerce
a myriad of contradic- as he tried to rebuild a
tions and its internet policy damaged economy. Even
Iranians surf the Internet at a cafe in Tehran, Iran. In Iran, a government push for a 'halal' internet
means more control after protests. I think is one of the great after the latest protests
(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) examples of those contra- ended, he argued that it
dictions," said Sanam Vakil, was as impossible to stop
By JON GAMBRELL thorities have encouraged pockets a device that can an associate fellow at Cha- people from using the inter-
Associated Press wider internet use, allowing broadcast images and vid- tham House who studies net.
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- service providers to offer eos to the entire world and Iran. "If you want cyberspace
ates (AP) — The irony in 3G and 4G networks, which trade information away Since the 1979 Islamic Rev- to be useful to the com-
Iran's recent explosion of in turn prompted a mas- from state control and cen- olution, the government munity, come forward with
protests was that it was the sive expansion in the use sorship. has tightly controlled infor- a solution using it to pro-
country's theocratic gov- of smart phones. In 2014, The government snuffed mation. The internet, how- mote the culture instead of
ernment itself that provid- around 2 million Iranian out the protests in part by ever, has threatened that blocking it," he said.
ed the oxygen that fueled had smart phones; today, shutting down that oxy- control. During Iran's 2009 The idea of Iran setting up
their startlingly swift spread, an estimated 48 million do. gen, blocking the encrypt- protests surrounding the dis- its own "halal," or "permis-
blazing from city to city. That means around half ed Telegram messaging puted re-election of hard- sible," internet first came
For the past four years, au- the population has in their app that protesters used line President Mahmoud in 2011 in the wake of the
Yemeni forces clash with separatists in Aden, 8 killed 2009 protests. It's evolved
into what's known as the
National Information Net-
By AHMED AL-HAJ ing wider unrest and an meeting in the presidential bility in Yemen," he said, work.
Associated Press Associated Press journalist palace in which he de- "Whether people want au- It is essentially a net neutral-
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Ye- heard heavy gunfire in the scribed the separatists' as- tonomy or stay in a unity, it's ity supporter's nightmare:
meni government forces Khor Maksar, Crater, and sault as a "coup," accord- the UAE's business," he said. The network has some 500
clashed with separatists in Mansoura districts, as thick ing to a senior government Witnesses said residents government-approved
the southern port city of black smoke rose in the sky official who attended the were fleeing the areas national websites that
Aden on Sunday in fight- after an airstrike. The fight- meeting. A second official where the fighting was stream content far faster
ing that left at least eight ing spread to other districts, told the AP that the UAE taking place. Schools and than those based abroad,
people dead. The country's including areas near the was behind the assault. universities were shut down which are intentionally
internationally recognized presidential palace. Abdel-Khaleq Abdullah, an and students were told to slowed, according to a
government considered Witnesses say that armed Emirati political commen- stay home. A medical of- recent report by the Cam-
the separatists' assault an men stormed government tator, rejected the allega- ficial said at least eight paign for Human Rights in
attempted "coup" backed offices and riddled the pic- tions and said that the UAE people were killed and 80 Iran. Service providers offer
by onetime ally the United tures of president's with bul- has been always fighting others wounded. All spoke cheaper packages to cus-
Arab Emirates. lets. terrorism and working to- on condition of anonymity tomers accessing only the
Authorities shut down the Prime Minister Ahmed ward stability in Yemen. because they feared repri- NIN websites. q
country's main airport, fear- Obaid Bin Daghar held a "Emiratis are restoring sta- sals. q