[governance] WSJ: Iran's Web Spying Aided By Western Technology

[Rui Correia]

Dear All

Before we have a very long debate on internet governance/ control/
monitoring/ curtailing freedom of expression, etc, let's agree on something:
what we are dealing with here is primarily the issue of (unscrupulous)
companies willing to take money from wherever it comes. They provide a
service and/ or product and to them that is the end of the story. What the
client does with it is none of their business, they are legally selling a
service/ product. The product could be landmines or other armament, fuel,
loans, etc, all of which can be used to repress and oppress. As for "Western
technology", let's face, invariably, such expertise/ know-how/ products come
from the so-called "Western" companies.

So, rather than looking at this as an internet issue, let's look beyond.
Other players in Civil Society make it their business to denounce practices
deemed to be immoral, wrong, etc in a number of contexts - the environment,
animal rights, etc.

So, if the technology is being provided by Nokia and Siemens (Quote: "The
monitoring capability was provided, at least in part, by a joint venture of
Siemens <http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=si>AG,
the German conglomerate, and
Nokia <http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=nok>Corp.,
the Finnish cellphone company, in the second half of 2008, Ben Roome,
a spokesman for the joint venture, confirmed."), get people to protest/
boycott/ write against Siemens and Nokia. Get people to write to editors of
newspapers etc.

However, do remember that commercial entities exist to make a profit. If I
sell guns and someone comes in and tells me he is looking for a gun to kill
himself or his neighbour, I would be in my right as a business to conclude
the sale. Rfusing to do business with the customer because of the eventual
outcome of the transaction is only something I might decide to consider.

So, having said that, if civil action makes a difference to their profit
margins AND SHAREHOLDER dividends, then we will have achieved something.
They - and others - will think twice in the future before taking on such
contratcs. I don't have any specific examples of where naming and shaming
has worked, but Halliburton shares have been plumetting ever since
disclosures were made about their activities in Iraq. Perhaps someone with a
finger on the financial pulse can contribute here.

Regards,

Rui



2009/6/22 Ben Wagner <Ben at gsi.uni-muenchen.de>

> The list of DPI-using countries which censor their populace seems to grow
> by day. It also seems that the line between censorship and surveillance is
> becoming increasingly blurred:
>
> ---
>
> *Iran's Web Spying Aided By Western Technology *
>
> The Iranian regime has developed, with the assistance of European
> telecommunications companies, one of the world's most sophisticated
> mechanisms for controlling and censoring the Internet, allowing it to
> examine the content of individual online communications on a massive scale.
>
> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124562668777335653.html
>
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-- 
________________________________________________


Rui Correia
Advocacy, Human Rights, Media and Language Consultant
2 Cutten St
Horison
Roodepoort-Johannesburg,
South Africa
Tel/ Fax (+27-11) 766-4336
Mobile (+27) (0) 84-498-6838
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