Why Would Iran Welcome Western Tech?
Iran could allow Internet giants such as Google to operate in the the country if they respect its "cultural" rules, Fars news agency said on Sunday, quoting a senior official.
"We are not opposed to any of the entities operating in global markets who want to offer services in Iran," Deputy Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Nasrollah Jahangard reportedly told Fars.
"We are ready to negotiate with them and if they accept our cultural rules and policies they can offer their services in Iran," he said.
Jahangard said Iran is "also ready to provide Google or any other company with facilities" that could enable them to provide their services to the region.
These statements caught my eye because they contrast with China's actions, in the opposite direction. For example, on Friday the Washington Post published China removes top U.S. tech firms from government purchasing list, which said in part:
China has dropped several top U.S. technology companies, including Cisco and Apple, from a list of brands that are approved for state purchases, amid a widening rift with the United States about cyberspace...
Other companies dropped included Apple, Intel’s McAfee security software firm, and network and server software company Citrix Systems. Hewlett-Packard and Dell products remained on the list.
“The main reason for dropping foreign brands is out of national security. It’s the effect of Snowden and PRISM,” said Mei Xinyu, a researcher with the Ministry of Commerce. “When it comes to national security, no country should let their guard down.”
So why would Iran "let their guard down," to use Mei Xinyu's suggestion?
It's possible Iran is trying to encourage a favorable resolution to the nuclear power negotiations currently underway. I don't think its stance on technology is going to move the negotiations one way or another, however.
It's more likely that Iran recognizes that it lacks the sorts of national champions found in China. Iran isn't at the point where a local version of Cisco or Apple could replace the American brands. China, in contrast, has Huawei and ZTE for telecoms and Xiaomi (and others) for smartphones.
Iran might also be smart enough to realize that American brands could be the "safest" and most "secure" brands available, given the resistance of American tech companies to perceptions that they work on behalf of the US intelligence community.
At the New America cyber event last week, Bruce Schneier noted that the Cold War mission of the NSA was to "attack their stuff, and defend our stuff." However, when we "all use the same stuff," it's tougher for the NSA to follow its Cold War methodology.
I stated several times last week in various locations that countries like China who adopt their own national tech champions are essentially restoring the Cold War situation. If China rejects American technology, and runs its own, it will once again be possible for the NSA to "attack their stuff, and defend our stuff."
In that respect, I encourage the Chinese to run their own gear.
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