Iran's police chief says the Islamic Republic is developing new software to control social networking sites.
Gen.
Esmail Ahmadi Moghadam was quoted in Iranian newspapers Saturday as
saying the new software will prevent Iranians from being exposed to
malicious content online while allowing users to enjoy the benefits of
the Internet. He did not say when the software would be introduced.
Moghadam
also did not specify which social networking sites would be affected,
but both Facebook and Twitter are popular in Iran.
Iranians
currently have access to most of the Internet, although authorities
block some sites affiliated with the opposition, as well as those that
are seen as promoting dissent or considered morally corrupt.
Iran created a government agency last year to oversee Internet usage in the country.