IRAN: Facebook domain placed in control of U.S.-run site

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The social networking site Facebook has been awarded control of the URL Facebook.ir, the AP reports today. Majid Karimian Ghannad of Yazd, Iran, has been ordered by the United Nations to place the domain name with the U.S.-based site Facebook.com. According to the U.N., Ghannad does not have the right to the URL Facebook.ir. The ruling published today says he wants it in order to sell books.

Facebook is among a list of sites Iranian authorities block, but many Iranians use anti-filtering software to access it. In June, a Persian-language version of Facebook was launched.

— Amber Smith in Los Angeles