Tribute to the Green Revolution

He who has lost FREEDOM has nothing left to lose. " -- Unknown.

We admire and pay tribute to the brave Iranian people, who have made such sacrifices for freedom. The haunting picture of the young victim Neda has become the symbol of so many brave, young people in Iran who stand up to the "basij" thugs, who control the country.

Social networking has kept the Green Revolution alive, while the mainstream media has failed miserably to cover this important event. Twitter provides me with daily accounts of the struggle. Dissident leaders use Facebook to convey their message. Proof of the resistance continues to be posted on YouTube by brave Iranians. Without this social media, the Green Revolution would have been lost months ago.

Recently TED and Reddit interviewed Evgeny Morozov, an Internet scientist specializing on the effects of social media on society. Unfortunately, he is not positive about the ability of individuals using technology to stay ahead of oppressive governments such as Iran.

He states that "Digital activism is only possible because creative and tech-savvy activists are usually one step ahead of authorities. Part of my thesis has been that authorities are getting more and more sophisticated, which makes the lives of digital activists much more difficult (and much less secure). "

Sadly, Morozov has been proven correct in Iran. The Western company Nokia recently sold advanced technology to the Iranian government that allows tracking of digital phones, resulting in the arrest and torture of many students who were posting photos on YouTube. Still the youth of Iran continues to revolt and stand against this terrible regime. They need our continued support.