Internet underground takes on Iran
11:30 AEST Thu Jun 18 2009168 days 13 hours 5 minutes ago
By Jack Hawke, ninemsn
Internet troublemakers Anonymous have set up a secure forum that allows Iranian internet users to dodge the country's online censorship. The website says its aim is to be "a secure and reliable way of communication for Iranians and friends". "Use it to discuss what is happening in Iran," the website says. The site also states it is not set up by Iranians themselves, nor a government agency. "We are simply the internet and we believe in free speech," it states.
Anonymous is the internet collective famous for "Project Chanology" — co-ordinated worldwide protests against the controversial Church of Scientology — and has ties with web imageboards such as 4chan and internet forums like Something Awful. As with Project Chanology, Anonymous members are planning on public protests outside Iranian embassies and consulates around the world to voice their opposition to internet censorship. The forum also has the backing of massive BitTorrent tracking site The Pirate Bay, which has changed its logo to "The Persian Bay" and linked through to the protest site. The Pirate Bay's three founders and a financier were recently convicted of violating copyright law in a Swedish court and ordered to pay $4.5 million in damages to several major entertainment companies. The forum was yet another way for Iranian internet users to give their views on the country's recent election results, where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected last weekend.
The country has been in turmoil since the election result, with opposition protestors clashing with police and pro-government hardliners after accusations the poll was rigged. The government shut down sites such as Twitter and YouTube, and also blocked mobile phone calls and text messages. This triggered a reprisal from opposition supporters, who orchestrated to co-opt less web-savvy protestors in denial of service attacks (DDoS), which crash websites with a flood of traffic. Government websites, including President Ahmadinejad's personal site and blog, crashed as they were flooded with users marshalled through Twitter, Digg and other sources.
After being accused of blocking access to social networking and video-sharing sites, the Iranian government itself has come under cyber attack from opposition supporters. Unlike more traditional cyber attacks involving hardcore hackers, this post-election revolt relies on the common internet user to help take out government websites. A campaign has been orchestrated to co-opt less web-savvy protestors in denial of service attacks (DDoS), with government websites becoming flooded with users and ultimately crashing. Using sites like Twitter (despite being banned in Iran), Digg and other internet discussion forums, protesters have shut down official websites such as President Ahmadinejad's own site, cyber security blog Zero Day reports. The President's personal website is functioning again but his blog remains offline. The online attacks are reminiscent of those launched against Georgia's internet infrastructure during last year's Russian-Georgian conflict as well as a DDoS attack on CNN.com launched by Chinese "hacktivists".
Palestinian sympathisers were also accused of taking down Israeli websites earlier this year, and the FBI's cyber division thinks these sort of attacks pose the greatest threat to the US after nuclear weapons. Iran has been in upheaval since the re-election of President Ahmadinejad at the weekend, with opposition protestors clashing with police and pro-government hardliners after accusations the poll was rigged. In the wake of the election result, the government shut down sites such as Twitter and YouTube as well as blocking mobile phone calls and text messaging.
The US government asked Twitter to delay maintenance plans in order to allow Iranians to communicate while their government banned other media following elections, a US official said Tuesday. The official said the State Department had asked the social networking firm to delay shutting down its service to "highlight to them that this was an important means of communications... in Iran." The State Department official told reporters on the condition of anonymity that the Twitter service was all the more important because the Iranian government had shut down websites, cell phones, and newspapers. "One of the areas where people are able to get out the word is through Twitter," the official said. "They announced they were going to shut down their system for maintenance and we asked them not to."
Protestors in Iran on Monday used Twitter for battle cries and to spread word about clashes with police and hardline supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Messages posted on the micro-blogging service, some with links to pictures, streamed from Iran despite reported efforts by authorities there to block news of protests over Ahmadinejad's claim of having been fairly re-elected. Pictures of wounded or dead people that senders claim were Iranian protestors ricocheted about Twitter and wound up posted at online photo-sharing websites such as Flickr as well as on YouTube. A protestor was reportedly shot dead during clashes in Tehran as massive crowds of people defied a ban to stage a rally against the disputed re-election of Ahmadinejad.
The trouble flared after Ahmadinejad's defeated rival Mir Hossein Mousavi appeared in public for the first time since an election that has sharply divided the nation and triggered protests and rioting. The official said he did not know who at the State Department called Twitter but it was not Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
11:30 AEST Thu Jun 18 2009168 days 13 hours 5 minutes ago
By Jack Hawke, ninemsn
Internet troublemakers Anonymous have set up a secure forum that allows Iranian internet users to dodge the country's online censorship. The website says its aim is to be "a secure and reliable way of communication for Iranians and friends". "Use it to discuss what is happening in Iran," the website says. The site also states it is not set up by Iranians themselves, nor a government agency. "We are simply the internet and we believe in free speech," it states.
Anonymous is the internet collective famous for "Project Chanology" — co-ordinated worldwide protests against the controversial Church of Scientology — and has ties with web imageboards such as 4chan and internet forums like Something Awful. As with Project Chanology, Anonymous members are planning on public protests outside Iranian embassies and consulates around the world to voice their opposition to internet censorship. The forum also has the backing of massive BitTorrent tracking site The Pirate Bay, which has changed its logo to "The Persian Bay" and linked through to the protest site. The Pirate Bay's three founders and a financier were recently convicted of violating copyright law in a Swedish court and ordered to pay $4.5 million in damages to several major entertainment companies. The forum was yet another way for Iranian internet users to give their views on the country's recent election results, where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected last weekend.
The country has been in turmoil since the election result, with opposition protestors clashing with police and pro-government hardliners after accusations the poll was rigged. The government shut down sites such as Twitter and YouTube, and also blocked mobile phone calls and text messages. This triggered a reprisal from opposition supporters, who orchestrated to co-opt less web-savvy protestors in denial of service attacks (DDoS), which crash websites with a flood of traffic. Government websites, including President Ahmadinejad's personal site and blog, crashed as they were flooded with users marshalled through Twitter, Digg and other sources.
After being accused of blocking access to social networking and video-sharing sites, the Iranian government itself has come under cyber attack from opposition supporters. Unlike more traditional cyber attacks involving hardcore hackers, this post-election revolt relies on the common internet user to help take out government websites. A campaign has been orchestrated to co-opt less web-savvy protestors in denial of service attacks (DDoS), with government websites becoming flooded with users and ultimately crashing. Using sites like Twitter (despite being banned in Iran), Digg and other internet discussion forums, protesters have shut down official websites such as President Ahmadinejad's own site, cyber security blog Zero Day reports. The President's personal website is functioning again but his blog remains offline. The online attacks are reminiscent of those launched against Georgia's internet infrastructure during last year's Russian-Georgian conflict as well as a DDoS attack on CNN.com launched by Chinese "hacktivists".
Palestinian sympathisers were also accused of taking down Israeli websites earlier this year, and the FBI's cyber division thinks these sort of attacks pose the greatest threat to the US after nuclear weapons. Iran has been in upheaval since the re-election of President Ahmadinejad at the weekend, with opposition protestors clashing with police and pro-government hardliners after accusations the poll was rigged. In the wake of the election result, the government shut down sites such as Twitter and YouTube as well as blocking mobile phone calls and text messaging.
The US government asked Twitter to delay maintenance plans in order to allow Iranians to communicate while their government banned other media following elections, a US official said Tuesday. The official said the State Department had asked the social networking firm to delay shutting down its service to "highlight to them that this was an important means of communications... in Iran." The State Department official told reporters on the condition of anonymity that the Twitter service was all the more important because the Iranian government had shut down websites, cell phones, and newspapers. "One of the areas where people are able to get out the word is through Twitter," the official said. "They announced they were going to shut down their system for maintenance and we asked them not to."
Protestors in Iran on Monday used Twitter for battle cries and to spread word about clashes with police and hardline supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Messages posted on the micro-blogging service, some with links to pictures, streamed from Iran despite reported efforts by authorities there to block news of protests over Ahmadinejad's claim of having been fairly re-elected. Pictures of wounded or dead people that senders claim were Iranian protestors ricocheted about Twitter and wound up posted at online photo-sharing websites such as Flickr as well as on YouTube. A protestor was reportedly shot dead during clashes in Tehran as massive crowds of people defied a ban to stage a rally against the disputed re-election of Ahmadinejad.
The trouble flared after Ahmadinejad's defeated rival Mir Hossein Mousavi appeared in public for the first time since an election that has sharply divided the nation and triggered protests and rioting. The official said he did not know who at the State Department called Twitter but it was not Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
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