Iran Shuts Down Facebook, Twitter Again

Some Iranian night owls got a pretty big shock Monday when they could access Twitter and Facebook—but it was all apparently in error, and the sites were once again blocked Tuesday. Communications official Abdolsamad Khoramabadi said a “technical glitch” caused the block to be lifted, and it was quickly put back in place. For a few hours messages like “God liberated Facebook” appeared online, as many assumed that the ban had been lifted by newly elected President Hassan Rouhani, who has promised reforms. Khoramabadi, who is on the board that oversees Internet in Iran, said officials are still unsure what caused the block to be lifted, and they will “take action if there was a human flaw.”