Iran Is Trying to Curb Porn and Politics on Web

The Iranian government is attempting to control the internet, the last refuge of unadulterated information – and pornography – in the country. Newspapers, television, and other forms of media have long been censored by the government, prevented from printing sexually explicit pictures and from criticizing the regime. Thus far, the internet has remained immune to such controls, with student sites providing up-to-the-minute updates on recent protests when domestic newspapers were barred from demonstrations. But as internet access grows in the country, Iranian officials are becoming increasingly concerned by these political sites, especially pornographic ones that often offer political commentary in addition to their explicit content. As a result, the government is forcing internet service providers to install filtering mechanisms – similar to those used by Chinese censors – to bar material it considers politically harmful. Many maintain that government efforts will be in vain because of the expense to domestic companies and the growing internet savvy of Iranian youths. – YaleGlobal