A censor’s worst nightmare: Twitter
In countries where free press is suppressed and government sponsored news outlets churn out propaganda to keep the masses in check, the public is often kept in the dark about matters that go against the state. Web sites are routinely blocked, and Internet access in some countries is only available via government supply.
Well, that was until a little company made popular by celebrities and athletes arrived on the scene. And this company doesn’t even make money with its product yet.
Twitter is a censor’s worst nightmare.
The Web service is simply an online profile for people to keep up with the world and let everyone know what they are doing or what is on their mind at any given time. The way in which it’s done is through ‘tweets,’ which are simply status updates similar to Facebook, except Facebook can be blocked. Twitter can be accessed through a myriad of different Web sites, smartphones, blackberries and various applications for computers and the iPhone. It can also be updated through text messages or viewed without even having an account.
This makes it near impossible to censor.
As its been reported by MSNBC, Iran’s Twitter movement may be fueling the protests of the recent election, which many people believe was rigged in favor of the hard line incumbent. Twitter’s evolution may result in Iran’s revolution, with tweets as a weapon.
It will be interesting to see how the people react to venturing outside the box.
Rob @ June 19, 2009