A leading ayatollah, Naser Makarem Shirazi, called on the government to revoke the mobile Internet licenses before young minds could be poisoned by “dirty pictures and clips,” a post on his website read.
To some extent, the government’s decision to allow high-speed Internet systems is a recognition of reality. Before now, millions of tech-savvy Iranians lived a forced life of crime, buying illegal software that enabled them to visit blocked sites. Nevertheless, even those who bypassed the state filters were stymied by the excruciatingly slow Internet speeds.
In his speech on Monday, Mr. Rouhani did not address the issue of the filtering and blocking of websites, which will remain in place, analysts said. On Saturday at a news conference, he said he remained committed to a nationwide intranet, like those maintained by companies, with only selected websites allowed.
Iran is notoriously inconsistent in its social policies, and there is no guarantee the new Internet speeds are here to stay. But there was one encouraging sign.
Ayatollah Shirazi on Sunday issued a statement saying his demand to revoke the 3G licenses had been distorted. “We are not against technology,” he said. “But we feel the new technology must be purified before it is given to the people.”
While gratified by the changes, many Iranians remain frustrated with the government’s continuing limits on Internet use.
“We just have to find ways to come to terms with all the restrictions,” said Movarid, 28, who refused to give her family name so she could speak freely. “Once they declared the VCR illegal, and look how ridiculous that sounds now. That shows how we will feel about this period in the future.” (NY Times)
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