China paper slams US for cyber role in Iran unrest

China's Communist Party mouthpiece on Sunday accused the United States of mounting a cyber army and a "hacker brigade", and of exploiting social media like Twitter or Youtube to foment unrest in Iran. The People's Daily accused the United States of controlling the Internet in the name of Internet freedom after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for more Internet freedoms in China and elsewhere in a speech on Thursday. China on Friday warned that Washington's push against Internet censorship could harm ties. "It was because online warfare launched by America, via Youtube video and Twitter microblogging, spread rumours, created splits, stirred up, and sowed discord between the followers of conservative reformist factions." The People's Daily also denounced a May ban on Microsoft's instant messaging services to nations covered by US sanctions, including Cuba, Iran, Syria, Sudan and North Korea, as violating the US stated desire for free information flow.