Google caved to Chinese censors. But Twitter is actively helping the Iranian protesters retain free speech.
As Fox reports:
Iranian Twitterers, many writing in English, posted photos of huge demonstrations and bloodied protesters throughout the weekend, detailing crackdowns on students at Tehran University and giving out proxy Web addresses that let users bypass the Islamic Republic’s censors.
By Monday evening, it had become such a movement that Twitter postponed maintenance scheduled for the wee hours of the morning, California time — midday Tuesday in Iran.
“Our network partners at NTT America recognize the role Twitter is currently playing as an important communication tool in Iran,” wrote Twitter co-founder Biz Stone in a blog posting.
“Tonight’s planned maintenance has been rescheduled to tomorrow between 2-3p PST (1:30a in Iran),” he added.
I have signed on to Facebook, but I’ve resisted Twitter. Obviously, I may have underestimated the importance of the service.