Google Blog, January 19, 2011
During the
protests that erupted in Iran following the disputed Presidential election in
June 2009, the central government in Tehran deported all foreign journalists,
shut down traditional media outlets, closed off print journalism and disrupted
cell phone lines. The government also infiltrated networks, posing as activists
and using false identities to round up dissidents. In spite of this, the
sharing of information using the Internet prevailed. YouTube and Twitter were
cited by journalists, activists and bloggers as the best source for firsthand
accounts and on-the-scene footage of the protests and violence across the
country. At the time, though, U.S. export controls and sanctions programs
prohibited software downloads to Iran.
Some of
those export restrictions have now been lifted and today, for the first time,
we’re making Google Earth, Picasa and Chrome available for download in Iran.
We’re committed to full compliance with U.S. export controls and sanctions
programs and, as a condition of our export licenses from the Treasury
Department, we will continue to block IP addresses associated with the Iranian
government.
Our
products are specifically designed to help people create, communicate, share
opinions and find information. And we believe that more available products
means more choice, more freedom, and ultimately more power for individuals in
Iran and across the globe.
Update Feb
28, 2012: In addition to the products above, we also recently made Chrome
extensions available for download in Iran.
Update Jan
16, 2013: In addition to the products above, we’re now making the Google Earth plug-in available for download in Iran. This plug-in enables people to navigate
and explore geographic data on a 3D globe using a web browser.
Posted by
Neil Martin, Export Compliance Programs Manager
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