Western websites blocked by Iranian authorities
Iran's version of YouTube hits Web
Islamic Republic presents latest move aimed at creating its own Internet universe scrubbed of Western content
VIDEO - Iran
says it has launched a video-sharing website in the latest move to create government-sanctioned alternatives to Internet powerhouses such as YouTube.
Video courtesy of jn1.tv
The Web page of Iranian state TV says the new site – Mehr, or affection in Farsi – seeks to promote Iranian and Islamic culture and artists. It's unclear, however, how heavily the site, http://www.mehr.ir, will be monitored or censored.
Western websites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are blocked by Iranian officials, who claim Western bloggers and governments are waging a "soft war" against the Islamic Republic.
Iran also says it is seeking to create its own Internet universe scrubbed of Western content, but experts in cyber-technology question whether any country can completely break away from it.
