Facebook, Google Roll Out Persian Updates

Twitter has taken extraordinary measures to keep its site running during the Iranian election protests, and now other websites are speeding up developments. Today Facebook launched an early version of its site in Persian, relying on 400 volunteers to translate pages into the local language. "We felt it was important to help more people communicate rather than wait," said a spokesman.

Meanwhile, Google has launched a beta edition of its Persian-English translation service, which will allow English speakers to read blogs and news coming out of Iran. The Internet company rushed through development as the crisis intensified. With foreign journalists banned from leaving their offices, the Internet tools have been vital for keeping the world informed about Iran.
(More Iran stories.)