Iran releases its own YouTube competitor

Iran has launched its own video website, with which the country wants to create an alternative to the popular YouTube. The Islamic state probably hopes to be able to exercise more control over what its citizens see on the internet.

At the launch of the website, the Iranian government stated that the video website is mainly intended to promote Islamic and Iranian culture and associated artists, so reports the Israeli news website Haaretz. As a result, it seems that no Western content will be placed on the site. The site can be reached via the url more.ir.

It is likely that Iran wants to gain more influence over what its citizens see with its own version of YouTube. Several websites are already blocked in Iran, including YouTube itself, but sites such as Facebook and Twitter are also inaccessible. It is known that Iran is developing its own version of the internet, which means that access to the conventional internet may eventually be cut off.