Iranian authorities are reportedly planning to shift to an entirely new form of internet censorship, which would basically involve shutting down internet access in the country.

Although Iran has one of the most comprehensive and sophisticated online censorship systems,  the country’s leadership came to the realization that they are fighting an uphill battle. So, the plan is to completely shut off internet access to its citizens and create a national network instead.

The cunning plan is apparently the brainchild of Iranian communications minister Reza Taghipour, who believes that the creation of a national computer network is the only way to maintain religious and ethical values. Of course, the idea probably has a lot more to do with recent developments in North Africa and the Middle East, which are seen as a major threat to the regime.

The truly daft side of the plan is that banning internet access will probably make young people even more eager for change. A bunch of kids playing on Facebook seems like less of a threat than a bunch of kids playing with Molotov cocktails on the streets of Tehran.

In addition, Iran is planning to introduce a locally developed operating system to replace Windows. This on the other hand sounds like a rather sensible idea.

More here.