Clinton: Intervention defended on Twitter over Iran
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has defended her ministry's intervention in the Internet service Twitter. Due to the dramatic events in Iran, the ministry had asked the short message service to postpone planned maintenance work.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has defended her ministry's intervention in the Internet service Twitter. Due to the dramatic events in Iran, the ministry had asked the short message service to postpone planned maintenance work.
"We promote the right to freedom of expression," she said Wednesday in response to questions from journalists, according to SDA. One aspect of that right, she said, is the use of Twitter, not only by people in Iran but increasingly around the world. Keeping these channels of communication open and allowing people to share information is especially important at a time when there are not very many other information outlets, Clinton added.
The U.S. State Department had previously said it had asked Twitter for the postponement so that Iranians could continue to communicate via the platform. Twitter is used in particular by opponents of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Twitter had postponed the one-hour shutdown for maintenance details announced for Monday evening and did not carry it out until late Tuesday evening. At the same time, the Internet service pointed out that it had decided on the postponement itself because of the current importance of Twitter in Iran.
"We promote the right to freedom of expression," she said Wednesday in response to questions from journalists, according to SDA. One aspect of that right, she said, is the use of Twitter, not only by people in Iran but increasingly around the world. Keeping these channels of communication open and allowing people to share information is especially important at a time when there are not very many other information outlets, Clinton added.
The U.S. State Department had previously said it had asked Twitter for the postponement so that Iranians could continue to communicate via the platform. Twitter is used in particular by opponents of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Twitter had postponed the one-hour shutdown for maintenance details announced for Monday evening and did not carry it out until late Tuesday evening. At the same time, the Internet service pointed out that it had decided on the postponement itself because of the current importance of Twitter in Iran.
