Iran Launches 2,000 Blogger "Cyberprogram"

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran has launched a program to mobilize 2,000 Basij members as bloggers to conduct a "soft war" of social network intervention.

According to exiled Iranian blogger Nikahang Kowsar,

"I think members of the Revolutionary Guard are going to intervene in different social networks in cyberspace, as the government has found itself vulnerable in this field."

Kowsar said the government believed a "soft war" is necessary because the Internet is currently the opposition Green Movement's most powerful tool.

He added that one of the aims of the IRGC's new "cyberprogram" was to divide the opposition.

Kowsar said a psychological war on the Internet "is a key part of this plan, as most Iranian bloggers inside the country have nicknames for their blogs and it makes it difficult for the authorities to arrest them."

Frankly, it's not exactly clear what the cyber war against "enemies" on social networks will achieve. I suspect that the Iranian authorities may not have a clear understanding of how social networks function.

Companion post at TJR.