Iran's Internet Filters Filter Out Leader's Screed Against Getting Around Filters
from the shouldn't-a-lightbulb-be-going-off-somewhere? dept
Well this would be funny if it weren’t so sad and didn’t involve mass censorship. Iran has been getting a lot of attention lately for its plans to increase its internet filtering — and potentially even set up its own “safe” (read: heavily monitored) local internet. For now, as the filters have been going up, apparently lots of sophisticated internet users in Iran have been figuring out how to get around them. No problem. Iran’s “supreme leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei simply issued a “fatwa” against using anti-filtering tools — and that was published to the web…. where it was promptly filtered. Yes, you read that right. His attack on anti-filtering technology was itself a victim of the filter — such that you couldn’t read it unless you were using anti-filtering technology (the same technology the fatwa was condemning).
Apparently this happened because (of course) Iran’s internet filter is so ridiculously unsophisticated that it works based on keywords — and the mere mentioning of anti-filtering software likely set off the filters. Of course, while you might hope this would lead to a realization that such filters are not a good idea, somehow I doubt there will be any such epiphany.
Filed Under: ali khamenei, censorship, fatwa, internet filtering, iran
Comments on “Iran's Internet Filters Filter Out Leader's Screed Against Getting Around Filters”
!!!!!
You couldn’t make it up!
Teacher: Anyone not here speak up now.
*Pause, as the teacher looks around the empty room*
Teacher: Ok, guess everyone is here. This field trip is over, time to board the bus and head back to school.
LOL doesn't describe this!
Aren’t keyword filters the sorts of things that SOPA/PIPA supporters are drooling about getting?
From the followup post to this they are due for an epiphany, too, and won’t have it for the same reasons.
Just, too, too funny!
Dunno, sounds fine to me
So, only the people breaking the law know that they’re doing so?
Seems ok to me 🙂
This is too funny!
I can’t wait until Iran goes overboard and starts removing heads based upon IP addresses, the whole government and all the religious leadership will be gone in one night!
It’s like driving a car on a road that does not have speed limit signs, and then getting pulled over for speeding.
Alt languages... how soon?
It won’t be long enough there’s a hole set of near-word curse words like “shiz” instead of shit, and “pigs” instead of cops–etc et al, you get the idea.
It Worked
By having it only read by people using the anti-filtering technology he got to his target audience. This is just the opposite of the FBI/ICE DVD warnings that never go to the target audience. It seems to make a lot more sense than the warnings.
!!!!!
And some people think reality doesn’t have a sense of humour! 😀
It Worked
That’s what I thought! But it seems doubtful that was the way it was supposed to work…
Poul Anderson once covered the whole thing.
“Then I remember it’s the Adversary who is humorless. I’m sure God likes to laugh.”
Alt languages... how soon?
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Iranians already had an unofficial system like this – the Chinese do for sure (Google for “grass mud horse” if you’re interested in how the Chinese communicate around censorship).
No, no. This is the way it is supposed to work! The only people who NEED to see this fatwa are those who use the filtering software and can therefore see it.
Re:
Exactly! It’s the opposite of the FBI Copyright warnings which are only shown to those who need not see it.
now that Holland has banned the use of proxies, at the behest of BREIN, to ensure TPB cant be accessed by Dutch residents, perhaps they would be interested in buying the technology from Iran?
how any country in the so-called democratic world can condemn another country for using website blocking, filtering or any other sort of restrictions, but then do exactly the same (or worse) themselves, is beyond me. what a bunch of hypocritical arse holes!! it really wont be long before no one will be able to do anything without getting permission from the (entertainment industries) government first!
Funnels
“Funnels! … The condom you can trust.”
So, you spelled FATE wrong. It’s not fatwa, it’s fate, you know, karma, being a bitch. /lousyjokeattempt
Ahem. Wtf is a fatwa? *goes for the big G for epiphany*
fatwa
fat?wa
[faht-wah]
noun
an Islamic religious decree issued by the ʿulama.
Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fatwa
Thank you God. I mean Google.
Amusingly the definition near this result was hosted at terrorism.about.com/od/…/g/Fatwa.htm
Re:
It must be Allah guiding them to the circumvention tools so they’ll see it.
ROTFLMAO!
That is all…
When you live by the sword...
You end up getting beaten by your own filtering technology apparently.
OMG
Duh-dum-duh-da
Captain Obvious strikes AGAIN!
… or is it oblivious? @.@
I take it the Ayatollah is enjoying the Tropico expansion?
Alt languages... how soon?
That’s how France got around twittering about election results before the official counts. Using euphamisms about the candidates instead of their actual names.
Re:
This actually happens all the time. In Ohio the speed limit, unless otherwise posted, is 25 in residential/city, and 55 in the country.
Re:
You’re right! This may be the first time a world leader has correctly side-stepped the striesand effect.
This is what you get when you let religious fanatics make the law…
Re:
Stalinist Russia and Maoist China were both atheistic regimes, Rekrul. That does not qualify as improvement.
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Filtre a besoin pour survivre et rentrer chez eux.-Filter needs to survive and return home.
Hey. I hope you are healthy. I’m Martinez of North Korea. To find my family and friends back home (Paris) I need a good filter. You can afford to send a Mmnvntvn’m dry. TIG also get compensated. after returning home.
Hey. J’esp?re que vous ?tes en bonne sant?. Je suis Martinez de la Cor?e du Nord. Pour retrouver ma famille et amis ? la maison (Paris) J’ai besoin d’un bon filtre. Vous pouvez vous permettre d’envoyer un Mmnvntvn’m sec. TIG aussi ?tre indemnis?s. Apr?s retour ? la maison.
Filtre a besoin pour survivre et rentrer chez eux.-Filter needs to survive and return home.
Hey. I hope you are healthy. I’m Martinez of North Korea. To find my family and friends back home (Paris) I need a good filter. You can afford to send a Mmnvntvn’m dry. TIG also get compensated. after returning home.
Hey. J’esp?re que vous ?tes en bonne sant?. Je suis Martinez de la Cor?e du Nord. Pour retrouver ma famille et amis ? la maison (Paris) J’ai besoin d’un bon filtre. Vous pouvez vous permettre d’envoyer un Mmnvntvn’m sec. TIG aussi ?tre indemnis?s. Apr?s retour ? la maison.
در ایران فیلترینگی اگر صورت میگیره صرفا برای حفظ نابالغان و کودکان هست تا با مطالب غیر اخلاقی ذهنشون رو سردمداران رسانه ها که اکثرا اسرائیلی هستن خراب نکنند،
Re:
اگر صورت می گیره؟!
خوبه لااقل شک کردی ادیسون