blogs written in Persian, and numerous others written in English on Iranian issues by Iran
expatriots located around the world. A list of Iranian blogs is archived at Blogs X Iranians.
33
One Iranian blogger, Hossein Derakshan (a.k.a. Hoder), has become a very prominent
blogger in the Internet activist community, and has been profiled in major media around the
world.
However, blogging and bloggers in Iran have become the target of censorship by a filtering
regime that ranks with China as one of the world’s most extensive. The 2005 and 2006 ONI’s
tests on Internet filtering in Iran included checks on blogs and popular blogging services. The
2005 tests were performed using sets of lists in two different categories: the ONI’s general
global list of blogging sites applied to all countries (of which one was blocked) and a highimpact list of 533 Iranian-related blogs. Of the 533 blogging sites that were checked, 86
were found to be blocked. Moreover, there was a dramatic increase in the number of blogs
blocked during the time frame in which the ONI conducted its tests; 35 of the 86 sites were
accessible one year earlier. The ONI tested a large number of blogs on several of the large
blogging domains and found that, while Iran blocks a significant number of individual blogs,
the state has not taken the (technically) easier step of preventing access to entire blogging
domains. Most likely this is because the Iranian government wants to allow access to most
blogging services (the exceptions being Moveable Type and Live Journal, which are blocked
in their entirety) while focusing on individual blogs that threaten the regime.
The 2006 tests show a continuation of these trends. For example, all seven ISPs tested in
Iran block access to the highly popular blog www.boingboing.net. Iran (four of seven ISPs
tested) also blocks access to the popular blogger tool www.technorati.com and the photosharing site Flickr, while all Iranian ISPs block access to the video posting and distribution
site YouTube.
Although China and Iran are the most aggressive in terms of targeting blogs and bloggers,
the ONI found evidence other countries are following suit. In Syria, for example, we tested 159
blog URLs in the ‘‘Free Expression and Media Freedom’’ category and found 117 blocked.
However, all the 117 blocked blogs were hosted on Google’s Blogspot and are blocked as a
result of the Blogspot service in its entirety being blocked. Ethiopia and Pakistan also block all
of Blogspot. In the case of the latter, the motivation to block Blogspot comes from a desire to
block access to blogs hosted on the service containing imagery offensive to Islam. However,
the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority has chosen to block access to these blogs by
blocking all of Blogspot, thus collaterally filtering even those Web sites critical of the blogs
containing the imagery. United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, India, and Tunisia all block at least
one Blogspot blog. Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Tunisia block access to BoingBoing, most likely
as a result of those countries’ use of SmartFilter, which categorizes BoingBoing as ‘‘nudity.’’
Like Iran, Saudi Arabia also blocks access to the video file–sharing blog service, YouTube.
Just as blogging is becoming a popular form of self-expression and communication generally, activists, dissidents, NGOs, and other global civil society actors are also increasingly
142
Ronald Deibert and Rafal Rohozinski
expatriots located around the world. A list of Iranian blogs is archived at Blogs X Iranians.
33
One Iranian blogger, Hossein Derakshan (a.k.a. Hoder), has become a very prominent
blogger in the Internet activist community, and has been profiled in major media around the
world.
However, blogging and bloggers in Iran have become the target of censorship by a filtering
regime that ranks with China as one of the world’s most extensive. The 2005 and 2006 ONI’s
tests on Internet filtering in Iran included checks on blogs and popular blogging services. The
2005 tests were performed using sets of lists in two different categories: the ONI’s general
global list of blogging sites applied to all countries (of which one was blocked) and a highimpact list of 533 Iranian-related blogs. Of the 533 blogging sites that were checked, 86
were found to be blocked. Moreover, there was a dramatic increase in the number of blogs
blocked during the time frame in which the ONI conducted its tests; 35 of the 86 sites were
accessible one year earlier. The ONI tested a large number of blogs on several of the large
blogging domains and found that, while Iran blocks a significant number of individual blogs,
the state has not taken the (technically) easier step of preventing access to entire blogging
domains. Most likely this is because the Iranian government wants to allow access to most
blogging services (the exceptions being Moveable Type and Live Journal, which are blocked
in their entirety) while focusing on individual blogs that threaten the regime.
The 2006 tests show a continuation of these trends. For example, all seven ISPs tested in
Iran block access to the highly popular blog www.boingboing.net. Iran (four of seven ISPs
tested) also blocks access to the popular blogger tool www.technorati.com and the photosharing site Flickr, while all Iranian ISPs block access to the video posting and distribution
site YouTube.
Although China and Iran are the most aggressive in terms of targeting blogs and bloggers,
the ONI found evidence other countries are following suit. In Syria, for example, we tested 159
blog URLs in the ‘‘Free Expression and Media Freedom’’ category and found 117 blocked.
However, all the 117 blocked blogs were hosted on Google’s Blogspot and are blocked as a
result of the Blogspot service in its entirety being blocked. Ethiopia and Pakistan also block all
of Blogspot. In the case of the latter, the motivation to block Blogspot comes from a desire to
block access to blogs hosted on the service containing imagery offensive to Islam. However,
the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority has chosen to block access to these blogs by
blocking all of Blogspot, thus collaterally filtering even those Web sites critical of the blogs
containing the imagery. United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, India, and Tunisia all block at least
one Blogspot blog. Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Tunisia block access to BoingBoing, most likely
as a result of those countries’ use of SmartFilter, which categorizes BoingBoing as ‘‘nudity.’’
Like Iran, Saudi Arabia also blocks access to the video file–sharing blog service, YouTube.
Just as blogging is becoming a popular form of self-expression and communication generally, activists, dissidents, NGOs, and other global civil society actors are also increasingly
142
Ronald Deibert and Rafal Rohozinski