iPhone Now Banned In Syria For Political Reasons

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Remember when, about a year ago, we were talking about the ban on DSLR cameras in Kuwait? Well, the folks out in Syria look to take that one step farther as they’ve banned iPhones throughout the country. And not just the iPhone 4S, either, but everything iPhone related. And it’s the  why of it all that will likely leave you scratching your head.

Just a couple days ago, so the reports go, the Syrian government banned iPhones–and it doesn’t look like any specific kind, either–in a bid to keep activists and protesters from videotaping and promptly firing out on to the web government violence against its own people. This in turn resulted in John Jandali–otherwise known as Steve Jobs’ biological father–heading out to YouTube to offer support for the Syrian people.

Of course it did; they banned his son’s creation, of course he’s going to take to YouTube and express his own distaste for the move. But things only get weirder from here, as the word is that using an iPhone in Syria, following this ban, is actually sufficient for the Syrian government to regard the user as an espionage suspect. Of course, that’s not official Syrian government reports speaking, rather one of the activists in question, but still.

Leave aside the politics of such a move for the moment and focus instead on the mechanics, it’s still a strange concept. Considering the sheer number of Android devices available that aren’t under the effect of such a ban, it’s amazing to think the Syrian government can get anywhere with this. And how would authorities be able to tell the difference between an iPhone and one of the many other smartphones out there? Apple and Samsung, for example, are still going the rounds legally over Samsung’s products, many of which likely look indistinguishable from iPhones from any distance over six feet. Is “It’s not an iPhone, it’s a Samsung Galaxy Nexus!” really going to get anybody anywhere? And this is before the tablets even get involved.

It doesn’t seem like the best of moves here, not only from a political one but also from the sheer difficulty of carrying it out, as well as the relative lack of impact (when you can circumvent the ban by switching over to one of many competitors, banning the iPhone to prevent record-making is a lot like banning only drills to prevent holes from being made in things), but what do you guys think here? Figure this is a bad idea? Or is the Syrian government on to something? No matter what you think, the comments section awaits your thoughts below!