Report: State Dep’t asked Twitter to delay maintenance

The U.S. State Department asked Twitter to delay its scheduled maintenance due to the microblogging website’s heavy utilization by antigovernment protestors in Iran, according to a report.

According to Reuters, the site’s agreed delay in maintenance until an overnight hour in Iran was in deference to a State Department request.

“In coordination with Twitter, our network host had planned this upgrade for tonight,” Twitter cofounder Biz Stone wrote on the company’s blog. “However, our network partners at NTT America recognize the role Twitter is currently playing as an important communication tool in Iran.”

“We highlighted to them that this was an important form of communication,” an unnamed State Department official told Reuters. When contacted, the State Department declined comment to The Hill.

Twitter usage has been a key form of communication in Iran during the violent aftermath of the country’s presidential election. Since the ruling regime has blocked text messaging and many internet sites, Twitter has been one of the few modes of communication — even moreso as the Iranian government has expelled foreign journalists.

Cross-posted to the Briefing Room.