After Technical Glitch, Iran Blocks Facebook and Twitter Again

By
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
 on 
After Technical Glitch, Iran Blocks Facebook and Twitter Again

Netizens in Iran lost access to Facebook and Twitter on Tuesday, just a day after surprisingly gaining access to the notoriously banned social networks.

Iranian officials revoked access after a technical glitch on Monday let Iranians log on, according to the New York Times.

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The unblocking on Monday came as a surprise. The two platforms have been blocked in the country since the so-called "Green Revolution" of 2009.

At the time, the government argued that Facebook and Twitter were dangerous tools used to organize anti-government demonstrations. Since then, Iranians have only been able to access the social media networks using VPN software to connect through computers outside the country.

This week's technical glitch may have been caused by internal struggle among Iran's officials: Newcomers are trying to open Internet access while hard-liners want to maintain locks on Western sites.

This incident underlines the contradictions of Iran's approach to the Internet. The country's new president, Hassan Rouhani, seemed to indicate he was willing to ease restrictions when he declared that Internet censorship was "futile."

While Facebook and Twitter are blocked for regular citizens, some Iranian leaders have joined the networks. Rouhani has a Twitter profile and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is on Facebook and Instagram.

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