Wouldn't this be proof that Meta is dealing with the Iranian government directly and thus violating US sanctions against Iran?
Do we have any proof it's Meta doing this, as opposed to the Iranian government blocking Whatsapp within its borders?
As unrest grows, Iran restricts access to Instagram, WhatsApp
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Re: As unrest grows, Iran restricts access to Instagram, WhatsApp
#22I'm a little surprised Whatsapp even works (worked) in Iran, given the US sanctions against the country.
The US government can issue licences to operate in Iran. Perhaps Meta secured one?
GitHub has: https://github.blog/2021-01-05-advancing-developer-freedom-g...
Re: As unrest grows, Iran restricts access to Instagram, WhatsApp
#23Google pulling out of China instead of catering to censorship was a principled move, but fairly obviously did not lead to more freedom of speech in China. It helped kickstart a domestic, government-obedient tech industry. I don't know what the right move here is. Nobody who thinks there's an obvious right answer is worth listening to.
Culture moves both ways. I would rather American companies not get so comfortable with blatant censorship. While we do still have some degree of censorship (and a whole lot pf privacy violation), it’s still generally seen as a taboo and not as a moral or necessary thing. Once the social standards change however, the goalpost moves and it becomes harder to maintain the same freedoms we had before.
Should American companies pull out of Germany instead of banning Nazi propaganda? The UK instead of removing court-ordered offensive speech?
I mean, maybe, but since the US has the least-restricted speech of basically any nation, you are de-facto asking for a nationally partitioned internet. That's a big change.
Re: As unrest grows, Iran restricts access to Instagram, WhatsApp
#24Google pulling out of China instead of catering to censorship was a principled move, but fairly obviously did not lead to more freedom of speech in China. It helped kickstart a domestic, government-obedient tech industry. I don't know what the right move here is. Nobody who thinks there's an obvious right answer is worth listening to.
Culture moves both ways. I would rather American companies not get so comfortable with blatant censorship. While we do still have some degree of censorship (and a whole lot pf privacy violation), it’s still generally seen as a taboo and not as a moral or necessary thing. Once the social standards change however, the goalpost moves and it becomes harder to maintain the same freedoms we had before.
I would rather the American people elect a government that will protect their rights through laws.
Meta will not violate American law. As citizens, our most effective tool is our government of the people.
The idea that we rely on culture or corporate benevolence to maintain our freedoms, and not our representatives and laws... it's insane, to the say the least. I'd prefer to elect the people to protect my freedoms, not hope a for-profit advertising company will do so automatically.
Re: As unrest grows, Iran restricts access to Instagram, WhatsApp
#25Re: As unrest grows, Iran restricts access to Instagram, WhatsApp
#26Google pulling out of China instead of catering to censorship was a principled move, but fairly obviously did not lead to more freedom of speech in China. It helped kickstart a domestic, government-obedient tech industry. I don't know what the right move here is. Nobody who thinks there's an obvious right answer is worth listening to.
The right move is letting countries govern themselves in whatever way they see fit and leaving them alone.
Or would you like to have Iran or Pakistan or whatever intervening in the domestic issues of the West?
Re: As unrest grows, Iran restricts access to Instagram, WhatsApp
#27Wouldn't this be proof that Meta is dealing with the Iranian government directly and thus violating US sanctions against Iran?
Possibly. Sanctions law is a hot mess of sometimes contradictory exceptions. In this case, the exceptions regarding "informational materials" may apply.
https://www.lawfareblog.com/did-twitter-violate-us-sanctions...
Re: As unrest grows, Iran restricts access to Instagram, WhatsApp
#28This highlights the problem of communications metadata still being available to an outside observer or manipulator. A messaging network where source and destination identifiers can't be linked to real-world identifying information, such as phone numbers, would have been resistant to such censorship.
If they can't target some particular group then they just shut down the whole thing. This more highlights the problem of systems with a single point of control.
Re: As unrest grows, Iran restricts access to Instagram, WhatsApp
#29[deleted]
Re: As unrest grows, Iran restricts access to Instagram, WhatsApp
#30Interesting contrast to Arab Spring. I wonder if blockage has to do with Iran govt or US Intel agencies. My assumption is that the latter is more influential. If Iran is inducing the blockage, the spies agree for some reason.