Iranian Censor Bans 'Jewish' WhatsApp: Report

A report in Israeli News Service Haaretz states that the Republic of Iran has on Friday banned the use of popular messaging app WhatsApp, because it is owned by an "American Zionist", referring to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, an American-born Jew.

(Update: Iran President Reportedly Vetoes WhatsApp Ban)

In February, Facebook and WhatsApp had announced a $19 billion acquisition deal, and since then WhatsApp has continued to grow steadily, having recently crossed 500 million active users.

With the deal moving forward, Iran - which in 2009 blocked Facebook - has now made its position on WhatsApp clear as well. According to Haaretz, the ban was announced by the secretary of the Committee for Determining Criminal Web Content, Abdolsamad Khorramabadi, who was quoted as saying that "the reason for this is the adoption of WhatsApp by the Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who is an American Zionist."

However, the real reason could be the blocking of social media as a whole, to control communication within Iran's borders. Both Facebook and Twitter were banned in Iran in 2009, and in December, the country also blocked access to the Chinese WeChat.

Censorship of the Internet is pervasive in Iran, and most critics and free speech agencies see it as one of the "enemies of the Internet". This is a list published by Reporters without Borders (which added the United States of America to their list for the first time this year, following revelations about the US Government spying).

As far back as 2006, articles were being written about censorship in Iran and this is before the crackdown on social media that followed.

In January 2013, the Iranian government also announced that it would develop technology for better oversight of social networks, and as of February 2013, Facebook and Twitter have been accessible again according to Reporters without Borders.