Iran will launch its national internet search engine this year according to the deputy minister of Communications and Technology.
The Mehr News Agency reports that Ali Hakim Javadi announced the news today, saying: “Our information technology organization, as in many other countries that use a native search engine in line with local cultural and social needs, emphasizes the need to launch a national search engine.”
Iran’s Communications and Technology Minister Reza Taghipour has spoken about the launch of a national search engine on several occasions. Last July, Taghipour indicated that Iran will use China’s and South Korea’s extensive experience in this area to develop its own national search engine.
Iranian authorities have always expressed suspicion about the Google and Yahoo search engines, and some have even referred to them as spying tools used by Iran’s enemies.
In this vein, they have also spoken of launching a national internet to overcome security issues and cleanse the “indecent” content of the World Wide Web.
