Google Encrypted Services Blocked in Iran Since February 10

Whelp, it’s official: Iran is trying to cut off any outside encrypted traffic. This doesn’t bode well for its citizens. Google has officially announced that all encrypted traffic to Google services, like the kind that goes into Gmail, Google Docs, Youtube (when you are logged in) and Google Videos, have been blocked.

But its not just Google services that have been blocked. Its all encrypted traffic from outside the country. And considering that Iran isn’t a hotbed of internet entrepreneurship, that means pretty much all encrypted traffic in the country has stopped. Some Iranian citizens had been reporting that the country had been blocking encrypted services for months, so it is likely that this is the full-scale implementation of something that has been under testing for a while.

Iran has wanted its own private internet for a while now, and the government seems willing to implement it. Their move makes the Great Firewall of China seem downright lenient, since they at least allow for encrypted traffic.

Encrypted traffic is part of the backbone of the internet. It exists so that people--encryption doesn’t distinguish between criminals and governments--cannot spy on private goings on, like online shopping. Without encryption, online shopping wouldn’t exist.

While this move is great for entrepreneurs in the country (suddenly, there’s a whole slew of services that need to be replicated!) it is bad for the citizens. This is step one in cutting off the country from outside websites. Step two might be even more severe, possibly cutting off any site with reference to (for example) the United States. It shows that the government is willing to do whatever it can to control the internet, which lets them control the flow of information.

We can only hope that the Government sees sense before it sends its country back into the dark ages.

The Verge Photo by : Wikipedia