Iranians have reported widespread service disruptions to Internet and text messaging services, though mobile phones appeared to be operating normally Wednesday.

Iran’s telecommunications agency announced what it described as a permanent suspension of Google Inc.’s email services, saying instead that a national email service for Iranian citizens would soon be rolled out. It wasn’t clear late Wednesday what effect the order had on Google’s email services in Iran.

Every time Google launches a new service, be it email, DNS, or whatever, someone always asks me why I trust Google with my data & privacy. For me, the answer is always that I trust them a hell of a lot more than I trust my government. Who in their right mind would use an email service run by the Iranian government?

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