Wired For a Revolution

Iran's mullahs are finding out the hard way that medieval methods of control are no match for 21st--century technology. According to several current and former U.S. and European security officials, Iran is too thoroughly wired for its government's efforts at disabling Facebook, Twitter and text messaging to hold back the tide of dissent. "[The Iranians are] not good at doing it," says a former senior U.S. intelligence official, who asked for anonymity when discussing sensitive subjects, adding that while authorities have tried various stratagems to control cyberspace and cell-phone traffic, "they can't black out the opposition."

Even when the government successfully shuts down networks, the impact is limited. "Everyone has a cell phone," and their cameras work even when service does not, notes former Pentagon intel analyst Matthew Burton. According to a blog called Networked Culture, Iranian spies posing as protesters have set up Twitter accounts to spread disinformation and are hunting for dissident voices by running broad searches for people messaging from specific locations and time zones—but the blog has posted detailed guidance on how to foil the spooks. Protesters are also getting a hand from exiles and foreign sympathizers. One European official, who also declined to be named, says that tech expertise is formidable among the Iranian diaspora: "One out of three of the best brains in Silicon Valley are Iranian."

© 2009