Iran Blocks YouTube, Wikipedia

Video sharing site, YouTube and Web encyclopedia, Wikipedia are among the major websites blocked by Iran, as part of a campaign to protect the country from the 'corrupting' influence of foreign films and music. Moreover, access to Amazon.com, online film database IMDB.com, news sites such as the New York Times and BBC Farsi service has also been blocked, under the order of senior judiciary officials.

The ban on YouTube seems to be a response to a recent online video, which shows a famous Iranian soap opera star indulging in 'indecent behaviour' with her ex-boyfriend.

The campaign, led by Iran's Islamist president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, attempts to free the country of western cultural influences, via the Internet. Human rights group, Reporters Without Borders, branded Iran, along with 13 other countries, as "enemies of the internet" last month. The group has been actively campaigning against these nations which have been blocking sites and even intimidating and jailing bloggers.

Iran has about 7.5 million internet surfers which is the highest number of web users in the Middle East after Israel. The country also has more than 100,000 bloggers, some of which are substitutes for Iran's suppressed, reformist press.

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