US based companies doing business with Iran

F

firefox

New member
This is intended to be a discussion framed around such US hosting companies that knowingly accept Iranian customers and furthermore let them act in violation of the company policies and terms of service, So please don't make it political or religious or whatever that is not related to the subject.
As for me, I'm seeking for your expert advice and information regarding the topic so long as it is within forum rules..
I think in most hosting discussion forums, serious talking about this aspect of hosting business has always been missing.

The US hosts usually do not avoid the provision of their services to persons in Iran or the Islamic Republic regime. Those that take evidential reports into consideration and account are very few and generally are not concerned about this matter and/or copyright infringement/violations of their AUP until they see their actions may be brought to public or federal governments attention.

There are many kinds of Iranian sites hosted on US servers.
Emailing abuse@x.com's in which x replaces most of US hosts, has often been a waste of time and energy no matter of how much precise details, records and evidence sent to them.

At this point, we need some examples and as this forum is not a court or trial, any responsive representative of the companies involved in the matter whose their trade names get mentioned here are very welcome to join the thread and clear themselves of blame.

Initially some background legal information is needed to start with.

Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued a June 2003 ruling that hosting Iranian Web sites violates the Trading With the Enemy Act.
The provision of marketing services to persons in Iran or the Government of Iran, as well as the exportation, reexportation, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States, or by a United States person, wherever located, of any goods, technology, or services to Iran or the Government of Iran is prohibited under the ITR.
The provision by U.S. persons of Internet access to Iran falls within the scope of the prohibitions contained in the Iranian Transactions Regulations, 31 C.F.R. Part 560 (the “ITR”), on providing services to persons in Iran or the Government of Iran, or where the benefit of such services is otherwise received in Iran. ITR, §§ 560.204, 560.410.
Click to expand...

I don't like tough bad guys, therefore, the first example would be Softlayer.
Softlayer with their American "leading edge hardware and proprietary management portal", delivers next generation virtual IT environments for Blackmice or BMC at my.blackmice.com.
BMC IP address is: 75.126.42.213 and Locates in: United States - Softlayer Technologies Inc, other whois records are available at: http://whois.domaintools.com/blackmice.com

Softlayer presents:
1. Applications(Warez) at:
Code: 
http://my.blackmice.com/forumdisplay.php?f=47
2. Ebooks and Magazines at:
Code: 
http://my.blackmice.com/forumdisplay.php?f=46
3. Templates, Fonts, Wallpapers & Icons at:
Code: 
http://my.blackmice.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49
4. Movies and Music Downloads at:
Code: 
http://my.blackmice.com/forumdisplay.php?f=45

What do you think of Softlayer and the motives they may have for empowering Iranians to administer a site that is promoting what is commonly referred to as illegal content?
What's been said about emailing is tested with this softlayer,
discussing the matter can help to find out why some US hosting companies are interested to do likewise in similar cases.

Please tell me If you consider the softlayer example inappropriate.
 
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I should add this issue may also be discussed in other hosting forums, since in my opinion the subject is an important matter which needs some comprehensive argument/analysis on its causes/consequences.
 
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Blue said:
Looks to be hosted by futurehosting.biz
Have you tried contacting them?
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Not yet, it was just an example, does futurehosting care? unlike softlayer?

It would be a better choice to discuss the godfather of all these US firms, The Planet EV1servers first. PersianTools are much older and bigger.
 
I'm not sure what your issue is then.
Is it an issue with illegal content?
Is it an issue with doing business with Iran?

If it is simply illegal content then I think no ethical host would do business with these people, regardless of their country of origin.

If you issue is the US trading with the enemy law then I think it is absurd and arbitrary.
This law is a joke.
 
I currently host sites for clients from Iran. But I will not host illegal content for no matter where the client is from. If I find out a client is hosting illegal content they will be looking for a new host. I was not aware that it was illegal to host sites for an Iranian client, I will ask my attorney if it is in fact illegal.
 
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I imagine that IF the UN places an embargo on trade or supplies to or from a country ... then it would be illegal for any company established in any nation signing onto that agreement to do any kind of business with anyone (company or individual) in the embargoed country.

Example ... it would be illegal for any US web host to do business with any company or person in Cuba.

Therefore ... it would be illegal for any Data Center in the USA to do business with ANY ONE in the USA (web host or individual or ???) that did business with ANY company or person in Cuba.

So ... I believe the same would hold true with Iran if embargo's & trade restrictions are as "all encompassing" as those against Cuba.

Not sure how it would affect say a Canadian company (which does NOT have an embargo against Cuba) that has Cuban customers whose sites they host on a USA based server. Somehow I don't think the same restrictions apply.

At least that is what I have "retained in memory" from my 35 yr old International Business Law course I took in college :) But ... things may have changed since then. :)

Peter
 
If you have servers based in the US you are required to abide by the US laws.
If the server is in Canada or GB then you don't have the same restrictions with regards to dealing with Iran or Cuba or any other country that the US doesn't approve of for whatever reason.
 
That's a very interesting topic, I just wonder why it hasn't been discussed at such a popular forum as WHT. Hopefully, Iranians can use hosting companies in Europe, though they do seem to be more expensive.
 
The OP is forgetting that Internet Server Providers are always spammed at the abuse@x.com address. After clearing which ones are legit and which arn't an investigation is started. In this case the website Blackmice is a Shared Hosting Customer of a Dedicated Server Customer of SoftLayer. So when SoftLayer launched the investigation The Customer is informed that they have xx Hours to Remove the content or the server will be cancelled/suspended. That Customer has to inform Blackmice.... who obiously decided to no longer be with that company since there website is now located in France.
 
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