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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
fikhlJan 25th 2010 12:49PM
Great! Let me check the internet services left for us:
YouTube: wait, it's blocked by the government.
Facebook (and nearly all the other social-networking sites): Again, blocked by the government.
Picasa: Blocked by the government.
Flickr: Blocked by the government.
Google Gears, Google Earth: Guess what! blocked by Google!
Dear Apple, I got an iPod touch, I was wondering if I could get that iFart app? I'll pay for that!
No you can't, iTunes is not available in your region! GTFO!
Add on the fact that internet is heavily censored here in Iran, and the local ISPs do not have permission to provide speeds more than 128kbps to home users! That speed limitation alone renders half of the services on the internet useless to us. High-speed internet prices are so ridiculously high that only a small percentage of the population can afford that.
I was quite shocked when reading this, wasn't the whole idea of open-source software to give EVERYONE regardless of their nationalities and other political bullshit free, quality software? I don't know what these people are trying to achieve by restricting access to such websites and services, but in fact they're only hurting ordinary citizens and internet users, not their cruel leaders and governments.
Pathetic.
(Unverified)Jan 25th 2010 12:55PM
Nice avatar... :)
At least you can still read Download Squad!
But yeah, definitely time to look at the American-companies-operating-on-an-international-network rules.
(Unverified)Jan 25th 2010 1:37PM
As others have said, this is not SF's fault. They are merely complying with US export law. Open Source has nothing to do with it anyway, as the code itself is not being restricted, the American personnel and server resources that deliver the content are restricted. As Joe said, one can use another code repository, the law won't go after the code.
It is also true that in the short run, embargoes of any kind hurt people of a sanctioned country more than its leaders. The end-goal here is not to permanently deny people of sanctioned countries goods and services, the goal is to heap so much inconvenience and frustration on the countries that eventually their leaders give in or their people revolt and oust their leaders. Google, SF, Apple, these are American groups using American resources, and are beholden to American law and policy. If they really, really dislike it, they relocate. But obviously they don't dislike it that much.
I do wonder, though, if it would be more effective to instead make available to people of these nations the technological tools to circumvent the censorship imposed by their own governments. Cutting people off does alienate them, and then just makes them more susceptible to the drivel their leaders spew. If people of these countries were pulled into the world internet community, despite their leaders' efforts to the contrary, they may better be quickened to revolution.
Regardless, nothing is going to get better until the leaders of these countries change their politics (unlikely), die and are replaced by more moderate leaders (most likely), or are overthrown by their own dissatisfied people (least likely, but would get the job done most effectively).