A new website, Mehr, has been established by the Iranian government as a state run answer to YouTube. The video sharing site, whose name means “affection” in Farsi, will attempt to promote the culture of the country.
According to the AFP, the nation has a poor opinion of YouTube, the most popular web based video sharing tool, and hopes to create a more government friendly site:
“Iran has consistently censored YouTube since mid-2009, in the wake of the disputed elections that returned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power.”
In September, the Iranian government blocked Google search and Gmail indefinitely. It is currently working on establishing a “domestic Internet Network,” in order to improve cyber security and control web content.
But, according to CNet, many Iranians use proxy servers over Virtual Private Networks to get around the government’s efforts to censor the web.
by RTT Staff Writer
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