Defense Minister Naftali Bennett has formulated a plan to bring the internet — blocked by the ayatollahs — back to the people of Iran. But it requires a little cooperation from a few more computer programmers than exist right now in Israel.
He does, of course, have a plan for recruiting those people:
“This is going to sound insane, but last week Iran blocked the internet to its citizens. Some of the access is back, but most social media sites in Iran are still blocked at this time. Imagine a young Iranian named Hamed sitting in his living room hoping for a better future.
“So he opens the browser and tries to get into Twitter and … nothing. How scared of his people should a regime be to prevent them from accessing Facebook, Twitter and social media?
“As Israel’s defense minister, startup nation, and former high-tech entrepreneur myself, I know brilliant young people are capable of everything.
“So here’s a crazy idea: what if all the tech people in the world – Israelis, Arabs, Iranians, Americans, Europeans and more – Unite for one purpose: to help the long-suffering Iranian people gain open access to all social media. A worldwide hackathon for freedom.
“Whether you’re a senior engineer at an artificial intelligence startup or simply tinkering in your own garage, everyone has a role to play. Call up your most brilliant friends, grab some Red Bull and code through the night to do the impossible.
“The Iranian people are good and decent. Don’t they deserve the same basic rights as all other people on Earth as you and I?
“Together, we can show the Persian people, and the Iranian dictatorship that the power of the people is stronger than the people in power.
“So who’s in?”