Israel Matzav

Iran bans 'Zionist' WhatsApp

I have to be honest with you and to tell you that to me WhatsApp symbolizes everything that's wrong with our society today in which much of our contact is impersonal and remote. Any adult who has tried talking to a teenager (and that applies until age 30) who is 'paying attention' while using WhatsApp on their smart phone knows exactly what I mean. Still, only Iran could have called it a 'Zionist conspiracy.'

The Iranian government has announced a ban on the popular worldwide messaging application WhatsApp, which was recently purchased by Facebook for $19 billion. It said that the decision was reached because WhatsApp was bought “by the Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who is an American Zionist.”

(Tom Gross adds: In fact there is no indication that Zuckerberg is a Zionist, and WhatsApp was purchased from its founder, the Ukrainian-born Jew Jan Koum, who said in interview earlier this year that he fled anti-Semitism in Ukraine before settling in America and going on to found WhatsApp.)

The announcement was made by Iran’s Committee on Internet Crimes, which hinted that other social media projects, including Viber, Tango, Instagram and Facebook, may soon be shut down in Iran.

One Iranian blogger, speaking anonymously, told Fox News that “The Revolutionary Guard sees these social sites as a major threat because there’s an appeal for young people and the government worries about the exchange of information.”

Thirteen government officials sit on the committee that polices internet users, six of whom are also members of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s cabinet.

Keep telling us how Rohani is a 'moderate'....

Labels: Facebook, Hassan Rohani, Mark Zuckerberg

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:49 PM