Iran’s attempts to create a “halal” Internet have hit new heights of irony. In an attempt to convey to his people that free access to information and alternate points of view (not to mention tools to coordinate protests against his regime, what with all the beating with the clubs and the torture and the raping), will not be tolerated, well…
Khamenei, according to a translation by RFE, replied: “In general, the use of antifiltering software is subject to the laws and regulations of the Islamic republic, and it is not permissible to violate the law.”
However, his own use of the word “antifiltering” apparently triggered Iran’s own filtering system, making Khamenei’s words inaccessible to most Iranians.
AHAHAHAHA!
RFE also reported that this filtering episode prompted Tabnak, a conservative news website, to respond: “The filtering of a [religious] order is so ugly for the executive [branch] that it can bring into question the whole philosophy of filtering.”
In other words, Iran sucks so hard at building a firewall, that they might actually have to shut down their firewall for religious reasons, thus allowing people access to the wider Internet and the tools to maybe actually get a real vote this time.
Irony: it’s magically delicious!
(Image via Abode of Chaos on Flickr