MMS Messages Banned
Social Restrictions on the Rise - 2009.04.08
Payam Rahnama
In a move that officials claim is aimed at protecting Iran’s culture from assault, the new Iranian year began with the ban on MMS messages, according to Attorney General Dorri Najafabadi.
As the day of the presidential election is approaching and the parameter of the public information exchange is tightening up, the Attorney General of Iran through a letter to the intelligence minister has banned text messaging (also known as MMS) among Iranians.
In his open letter to members of Ahmadinejad’s cabinet, Dorri Najafabadi criticized MMS messages for "corruption the social culture of the nation" and identified "interference in the private sphere of citizens" as a main reasons behind the new regulation. Meanwhile, prior to the issuance of this letter, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology had held an unplanned meeting to establish new restrictions and regulations surrounding the use of MMS messaging. According to the new rules, "Activation of MMS services for individuals under the age of 18 requires the agreement and guarantee of their legal guardians." Also, according to the ministry's new guidelines, subscribers who intend to use MMS services, including audio and video files, must provide their full address and national identification information.
According to the new guidelines, any kind of “disruption” caused by sending MMS messages is punishable by law. The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology's guidelines and the Attorney General's letter to the Intelligence Minister are publicized even though neither institution has provided details on how it plans to monitor and control MMS messages. According to laws previously passed by the legislature regarding the use of similar services, the transmittal of images, photographs, confidential personal information, national security information, viruses and inappropriate messages that are against Islamic and communal values is illegal and subject to legal action.
Mohandes Toosi, head of the Internet Division at the revolutionary and criminal courts spoke to ISNA student news agency regarding the ban on MMS messages: "Fearing the transmittal of immoral video clips to the 24 million subscribers to cellular phones, the court has been forced into canceling MMS capabilities until the appropriate security and safety measures are enacted."
Toosi lamented the fact that technological innovation is often not accompanied by the appropriate security, supervisory and monitoring capabilities, adding, "In Iran, various capabilities for cellular phones have been developed, but no one pays attention to the security and monitoring capabilities. The Ministry of Communications and communications companies must pay more attention to controlling cultural and social damages alongside developing technologies for the marketplace."
Many analysts and journalists opposed to the administration compare the recent restrictions to those enacted during the 1980s, when a government ban on video cassettes caused a great deal of trouble for Iranians.
Social Restrictions on the Rise - 2009.04.08
Payam Rahnama
In a move that officials claim is aimed at protecting Iran’s culture from assault, the new Iranian year began with the ban on MMS messages, according to Attorney General Dorri Najafabadi.
As the day of the presidential election is approaching and the parameter of the public information exchange is tightening up, the Attorney General of Iran through a letter to the intelligence minister has banned text messaging (also known as MMS) among Iranians.
In his open letter to members of Ahmadinejad’s cabinet, Dorri Najafabadi criticized MMS messages for "corruption the social culture of the nation" and identified "interference in the private sphere of citizens" as a main reasons behind the new regulation. Meanwhile, prior to the issuance of this letter, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology had held an unplanned meeting to establish new restrictions and regulations surrounding the use of MMS messaging. According to the new rules, "Activation of MMS services for individuals under the age of 18 requires the agreement and guarantee of their legal guardians." Also, according to the ministry's new guidelines, subscribers who intend to use MMS services, including audio and video files, must provide their full address and national identification information.
According to the new guidelines, any kind of “disruption” caused by sending MMS messages is punishable by law. The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology's guidelines and the Attorney General's letter to the Intelligence Minister are publicized even though neither institution has provided details on how it plans to monitor and control MMS messages. According to laws previously passed by the legislature regarding the use of similar services, the transmittal of images, photographs, confidential personal information, national security information, viruses and inappropriate messages that are against Islamic and communal values is illegal and subject to legal action.
Mohandes Toosi, head of the Internet Division at the revolutionary and criminal courts spoke to ISNA student news agency regarding the ban on MMS messages: "Fearing the transmittal of immoral video clips to the 24 million subscribers to cellular phones, the court has been forced into canceling MMS capabilities until the appropriate security and safety measures are enacted."
Toosi lamented the fact that technological innovation is often not accompanied by the appropriate security, supervisory and monitoring capabilities, adding, "In Iran, various capabilities for cellular phones have been developed, but no one pays attention to the security and monitoring capabilities. The Ministry of Communications and communications companies must pay more attention to controlling cultural and social damages alongside developing technologies for the marketplace."
Many analysts and journalists opposed to the administration compare the recent restrictions to those enacted during the 1980s, when a government ban on video cassettes caused a great deal of trouble for Iranians.
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posted by Mori A. at
8:35 PM
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