As Iranians head to the polls, the existing government has tightened its grip on the internet and even turned its firewall against politicians close to the current rulers, say researchers who have detected a shift in the kind of sites blocked over the last two weeks. Earlier rumors that the net would be shut down totally have not been proven true, but it's understandable that given the crack down that some believed the Iranian government would take it to that level.
It's not just regular citizens who are being targeted since it's being stated that four political websites belonging to those connected to the ruling conservatives critical of current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have been blocked during the last two weeks. Even the personal website of Fatemeh Rajabi, wife of Ahmadinejad's spokesman and chief of staff, Gholam Hossein Elham, has been blocked.
Fatemeh Rajabi has a track record of criticising key figures from all political factions within the current Iranian regime, including Ahmadinejad, his predecessor as President Mohammad Khatami and the head of Iran's judiciary Mahmoud Shahroudi.
What affect this will have on the election remains to be seen...
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