One channel is shut, another opens. While the real-time blood conflict in Tehran seems to have settled down into (mostly) peaceful protest, the cyberwar (particularly via Twitter) becomes bigger, more furious and as always, more confusing.
Credibility of resources has become a problem for both pro-Mousavi activists and those trying to shut them down, with conflicting advice and information all/over/the/place.
Conflate this with serious concerns over the treatment of foreign media — ABC’s Ben Knight’s been thrown out — and it’s easy to see how everyone might be beginning to lose the plot.
Here, Crikey attempts to break it down:
What do you mean they shut down SMS?
Iranian authorities can’t seem to keep up. In a country where protest was unheard of, thousands have taken to the streets — authorities have been unable to contain the masses. Similarly, in the digital war zone, users-cum-activists remain ahead of the curve.
All despite distressing reports like this one from the Committee to Protect Journalists on the plight of journalists:
“Hours before polls opened on Friday, SMS, or short message service, was disrupted in Iran, according to local news accounts. Mobile phone service was shut down in Tehran on Saturday, although the service was restored on Sunday. SMS remains inoperable in Tehran, according to OpenNet Initiative.”
and this from Twitter-fed news service, Breaking Tweets:
“Twitterers reported that Facebook, YouTube, Friend Feed, and a host of other social networking sites including Twitter itself had been blocked on Saturday, as well as a number of news sites.”
Are the authorities winning? Doesn’t look like it.
On Monday, we wrote about Iranian pro-Mousavi microblogger known as @change_for_iran. He remains both awake and influential, despite the odds. A few hours ago he posted this:
@scarletphlox I know, I just saw it myself. my current Internet functionality is limited to twitter thanks for the speed & filtering.
Everyone on Twitter lives in Tehran
Speaking of Twitter, the well-beloved ‘spreading ideas’ video-site TED has released a timely post on the powers of social media.
And it’s power we can see: the Twitterverse’s efforts to confuse Iranian authorities seem to be working, at least in as far as tweets from the ground haven’t been shut down.
“Beginners guides to the Cyberwar” have been posted, re-posted, tweeted and re-tweeted no end. And, despite a few lone voices pushing against the tide, most are in agreement about the way forward — maintain the cloud false data.
That is, do everything you possibly can to convince Iranian authorities that the Twitterverse has moved to Tehran (by changing profile locations and timezones) and Tehran has fragmented across the globe (by offering hosting services) and ‘they’ won’t be able to decipher real Iranian dissidents from fake ones.
Unsurprisingly, Tweeters are lapping up the digital solidarity. So much so, that hierarchies are emerging (not unlike real life solidarity movements, really).
One of the first bloggers to offer guidelines on the cyber war has now had its account suspended (for reasons unconfirmed).
Luckily, the guide had been copied and pasted elsewhere before the suspension, and at the bottom of the original post we witness a classic example “proper” dissidents posting warnings to “newbies” about how to behave online:
“Please remember that this is about the future of the Iranian people, while it might be exciting to get caught up in the flow of participating in a new meme, do not lose sight of what this is really about.”
All in all, it’s no wonder Peter Brauer on Popten reckons the Iranian Government doesn’t know what’s hit it — we’re not sure anyone does.
I don’t understand. On Monday, The Washington Post revealed that two American pollster groups: Ken Ballen from the Centre for Public Opinion and Patrick Doherty – the director of the American Strategy Program at the New American Foundation -had conducted regular polling surveys in Iran prior to the election. Their findings were reflected in the election results as they had predicted a landslide win for Ahmadinejad.
If The Washington Post report is correct what is the whole fuss all about???
And some people ‘would still like to know where all these crusaiders for honest voting were when the US election were being rigged in 2002, 2004, 2006, etc’ (WRH)
Why is it then that the election in Iran seems to be more important than any of the elections in the USA?
Why the media shouldn’t publicise twitter account names
Please refrain from giving out the names of Iranian protesters in any
form publicly. Whether they are sharing information through youtube,
twitter, or through other people, they are taking a great personal
risk upon themselves to ensure that they are not silenced. When you
share their names, you share everything they have – information that
can be used to find them much easier. Additionally, please do not
share the names of missing protesters unless asked by verified
friends and family. They may be hiding and trying to avoid being
detected by that name.
Rena Zurawel makes some excellent points, IMO. This whole post-election circus is starting to look more and more like the Soros-sponsored ‘Orange’ and ‘Rose’ revolutions of recent times. It even has its own color: in this case, green. How convenient.
In 2007 Seymour Hersh reported that tens of millions of dollars had been allocated by the US Congress to help destabilize Iran. I’d say we’re seeing the results.
It may well be that the Iranian Government was ‘spooked’ into a premature release of results – and possible these were innacurate. But the context is worth mentioning. Barely had the polls closed before Mousavi declared victory – on the strength of his own exit polls! Concerned about external destabilization and what would happen if that disinformation was left hanging for days, they probably announced the official results earlier than planned. It’s possible they were fudged.
By as Rena points out – the major externally commissioned poll before the election predicted the officially announced outcome with remarkable accuracy. It was commissioned by groups unlikely to favour the incumbent.
I suspect that once they knew their favourite was going to lose, the western spooks, in cahoots as always with the MSM (money-serving media) put their energy into trying to delegitimize the election result. That’s the phase we’re at now.
Incidentally, why aren’t western pro-democracy twitterers twittering about Georgia? They wouldn’t, perchance, have an agenda?
See http://sydwalker.info/blog/2009/06/17/the-western-medias-busted-flush/
to explain the relevance of this reference to Georgia, and:
http://pakalert.wordpress.com/2009/06/16/proof-israeli-effort-to-destabilize-iran-via-twitter/
for more about whose pushing the tweets…