Mfarhanonline Social Media News: Reports that Iran was planning to shut off Internet access and replace it with a national intranet this summer were lies perpetrated by “the propaganda wing of the West,” according to Iran’s Ministry of Communication and Internet Technology. But the Ministry did confirm reports that the country will be opening an Iran-only internal network — in March 2013. On Monday, the International Business Times wrote that Iran would be flipping the switch on the Internet as early as this August. That story was based on an statement believed to have come from Reza Taghipour, the Iranian minister for Information and Communications Technology. Tuesday morning, that ministry released a statement calling those claims “baseless” and that the Minister’s statement had been a “hoax,” according to the AFP . “The report is in no way confirmed by the ministry,” read the statement. SEE ALSO: Iran Further Restricts Facebook and Twitter, Prepares Its Own Internet The original report said that Iran would sever ties to the global Internet and block access to popular websites and services such as Google and Hotmail. In place of the Internet, Iran would set up an interior network for communications inside the country — similar to how a business might use an Intranet for internal messages. The ministry’s statement didn’t confirm if Iran would cut off access to the global Internet when the internal network launches next year. The Iranian government has a historically tepid relationship with the Internet. The government has been known to clamp down on Internet use during politically sensitive times, such as 2009′s “Green Revolution” when thousands of Iranians flooded the streets in protest at fixed elections. Additionally, all Iranian web traffic must pass thr! ough a N ational Gateway that filters banned content from the west — although thousands of Iranians bypass the Gateway through out-of-country proxies. SEE ALSO: Iran's Electronic Curtain: How the U.S. Is Tearing It Down Do you think the Iranian government should shut off access to the global Internet? Sound off in the comments below. Image courtesy of iStockphoto , CGinspiration More About: internet , iran , Social Media , World Social Media reviews series maintain by Mayya
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