The site rule of no politics is going to be bent a little for this. Some rather thought provoking events in the news. It’s never clear how advancements in technology will impact politics, not until there are used. The news from Come from Iran just proves that fact once again.

Of course every one has heard on the news that about the cyber-warfare of the Iranian election. There have been concerns voiced that the protests may lead to massacre. There are fears that it could be possible for hard line government agents or devoted supporters to track down online protesters. It is unclear how real of a threat is, but recent world history has shown that heavy handed governments would kill any one who would air the ruling parties dirty laundry to foreign news. But that was when video cameras didn’t fit in your pocket. Today with the means to record and transmit images around the world is so prolific, it is clear that there is no stopping the flow of information.

When the two news groups in Iran reported conflicting election results in Iran sending many people to the streets. The state run news announced that the incumbent president was the winner, while the non state controlled news announced the reform candidate was winning. With Iran asking foreign correspondents to leave so the best means of conveying to the out side world what is happening is youtube, face book, and twitter. (Yeah twitter, make the world a better place 140 characters at a time.) With amateur footage of protests and some cases of police violence flowing out to major networks by social networks, not surprising that the Iranian government has tried to block access to those sites. And the sites have posted instructions on how to buy pass the block. As well as private individuals who have been setting up other bypasses to the Iran government blocks.

Watching this bit of history unfold reminds of other large protests. I find myself wonder how would things have played out if the protestors had access to modern communication? How different would the world be if all the students who gathered in Tiananmen Square could record and transmit as easily as the Iranian people can today? Would there have been five or six videos of the lone student facing down the lines of tanks? Would there have been even more protestors? How different would China be today?

If Ben Franklin was alive today would he been a blogger?

Moments after posting this I read that a student in the US was attacked while walking to class on a Ohio college campus. He has set up secured connections that allow protesters in Iran bypass the government block. It has been reported that his personal was released on the internet. This seems to confirms fears of reprisal.