In response to the blocks of Facebook, YouTube, and other sites made by foreign countries, a little device is now being created called Haystack.
“Haystack is a new program designed to provide unfiltered internet access to the people of Iran. The software package is compatible with Windows, Mac and Unix systems, and specifically targets the Iranian government's web filtering mechanisms.”
If you go to the website at haystacknetwork.com, they have their mission points listed. They’re very noble, things such as peaceful opposition to Iranian laws, providing free unfiltered Internet access, etc. These are all well and good, but do we have the right to do this? On the heels of my previous rants about Pakistan blocking Facebook, you might wonder why I’m a little upset about this. Free speech is free speech, right? No. Don’t get me wrong, I think their government is making a serious mistake by blocking these sites nationwide. If it were an Iranian programmer creating and promoting this, I’d be on the cheerleading squad in an instant. Iranian women ditching head scarves and donning jeans? You go, girl. I might even chip in for your fine. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37313677)
However…the United States of America is based on principles like freedom of speech and religion. That’s right, the United States of America, not Iran. I don’t expect the Indonesians to come over and force me to wear head coverings. Why should we expect to force our ideals on them?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/feed/sc-biz-0520-klipsch-lightspeaker-20100524,0,712881.story?page=3
I totally agree with you. We cannot (and maybe should not?) force our ideas of free expression on other nations. Buuut... what about foreigners living there temporarily? I know, there probably arent' many, but still... Also, there are probably many of their own citizens who DO want this freedom. On one hand, Haystack is simply making a product. Do they not have the right to sell the product to whomever wishes to buy it?
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't think we're forcing our ideas on them - just offering them the opportunity. Like if someone from Amsterdam came to the U.S. to sell marijuana because they think that everyone should have the right to smoke pot. Is it considered wrong/illegal here? Yup, but as I'm guessing with internet filtering in Iran, there's probably a good chunk of the population that resents having that freedom be limited and would welcome an opportunity to circumvent the law.
ReplyDeleteWow, interesting. On one hand, I want to cheer these people for giving the opportunity. On the other...well, we shouldn't be forcing our ideals on another country like you said. Though honestly, I'm not sure this company is 'forcing' - it looks like you have to download the software to use Haystack (it sounds a lot like the 'ParanoidXbox' in our 'Little Brother' book, actually). In which case, it's not really forcing ideals. It's just providing opportunity. At the moment, I'm reading a book called 'Reading Lolita in Tehran', and there's a description of how almost everyone has satellite dishes, despite their being illegal. I'm wondering how similiar this is - those who want knowledge beyond Iran's borders will pick up on it, and those who follow the government's rules will not.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is difficult to hear that this company believes it can override the government's ideals on censorship. While I believe that people should have rights to view what they want on the Internet, it still is a different culture that has different rights than what the U.S. provides in the Bill of Rights. I do not believe that our views should interfere with Iran's way of life.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that the human rights of the citizens of Iran are being violated by not having access to information. Do you think it is wrong for a theocratic regime to limit what their people can access as far as information is concerned. Is intellectual freedom a "natural right", and not just an arbitrary one that happens to be here.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all". Iran is violating the natural rights of its citizens, and thus it is a good thing to help the people get access to information.
The Internet has no national boundaries. Totalitarian regimes such as Iran cannot suppress public dissent as they have in the past. The Iranian population is among the best educated and most technologically advanced in the Middle East. During the demonstrations last year it was amazing to see protesters using picture phones and Twitter to expose government brutality.
ReplyDeleteI am all for free access to information, and am very glad it is so easy in the United States. That being said, many people will be rightfully arrested in Iran for using Haystack because it provides access to illegal websites, and if the programmers of this program are based in Iran they may reasonably face charges of treason if caught, which is generally punishable by death.
ReplyDeleteWe as Americans get egotistical, believing that our way is the only way and everyone else in the world must conform or else. We forget the laws of other countries are valid and enforced within the borders of those countries, not our laws. It's all well and good to encourage non-violent protest of unjust laws, but we have to remember that the consequences of such protests will be a lot harder in other countries than here. I have the utmost respect for those in Iran with the courage to make the stand, who will try to download and use Haystack; but let us remember that lives could end up at stake as a consequence.
~Lynn
I disagree absolutely. Intellectual freedom is a natural right, and you have it regardless of who claims the land your house sits on. No one is forcing Iranians to look at banned websites. You can't force freedom on people, by the way; it's a contradiction in terms. Part of freedom is the option to refuse it, which these people still have.
ReplyDeleteHaystack is analogous to Radio Free Europe, by the way. Back in the Cold War, we used to pump music and newscasts to Communist countries from across the Iron Curtain so people living in bondage could tune their radios and hear what freedom sounds like, and maybe build up the hope and courage to overthrow their oppressors. RFE was a big middle finger to every tin pot dictator in Eastern Europe, and it makes me proud to be an American.
Now we do it through the internet. Every time Google tells China where to shove its firewall or someone finds a new way to help people foil their dictators' bans, I get all warm and fuzzy inside.
I agree that we should not force our views on anyone or any country. Each government has their own laws and we/they should have to follow them.
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, I feel that the Iranian government should not be able to block sites that should be available to everyone. It’s nice to hear that someone is trying to get around the blocked sites by creating a program to get around it.
The only thing that I wonder about this program is that if the Iranian government finds out about this program will they get this program taken out or just leave it?
I think Mark brought up an excellent point when he asked if the Iranians human rights were being violated. I agree with him that they are. Access to information is vital, especially in a nation where you can't begin to trust the national media. Normally, I would agree with Tanya and Lynn that we shouldn't just try to impose our views on other cultures, but I think intellectual freedom goes beyond just American values. I also think Lynn brought up a great point about the impact that this will have on Iranians. Some people may die for taking a stand, but that happens when you believe that you are fighting for something that is worth dying for. Luckily, those battles were fought for us a long time ago.
ReplyDeleteGreat point, Derek! Haystack is exactly like Radio Free Europe. American is not forcing our ideals on another culture. We are simply shining a light on an alternative that provides greater protection of human rights. People should be allowed the intellectual freedom to chose. Without information from sources like Haystack, how are the Iranians supposed to know what they don't know? Free access to information is a foreign concept to many people living under oppressive regimes. America's Founding Fathers used ideas from other cultures to write our Constitution.
ReplyDelete