Iran
Government forms Web police unitPosted Dec 1 2009
Iranian authorities have formed a special 12-member police unit to monitor Web crimes. Col Mehrdad Omidi, the head of the unit, has said the unit will monitor crimes concerning “fraud… insults and the spreading of lies.” Many view this move as an attempt to silence the opposition.
“That police monitor Web sites and impose restrictions is nothing new. Authorities know that Internet is the one of few available channels for the opposition to make its voice heard. They want to silence opposition voices,” said journalist Akbar Montajabi. Montajabi also pointed out that social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter were some of the methods that had been used to inform the world about events in Iran and these were some of the sites the police seek to limit.
With no access to state media, the opposition to Ahmadinejad’s June 12 election has continually used the Internet to voice their opinions. Many opposition Web sites have already been shut down, but new sites are set up just days after the old ones are blocked.
So far, it is unclear how the unit will monitor the Internet.