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"As we reported over the weekend, Twitter is playing a crucial role in the ongoing controversy over the disputed Iran elections.  Meanwhile, earlier today Twitter publicized on their status blog that there would be maintenance at 12:45am ET/9:45pm tonight and it would last for at least 90 minutes.  \nWhile that would've been convenient for users in the US, it would\u2019ve meant the maintenance would be scheduled for Tuesday morning Tehran time, when activity on the ground is likely to be intense.  Taking this into account, Twitter, in conjunction with their network host, NTT America, have rescheduled maintenance to tomorrow afternoon US time - the middle of the night in Iran.From the Twitter blog:\n\n\"A critical network upgrade must be performed to ensure continued operation of Twitter. In coordination with Twitter, our network host had planned this upgrade for tonight. However, our network partners at NTT America recognize the role Twitter is currently playing as an important communication tool in Iran. Tonight's planned maintenance has been rescheduled to tomorrow between 2-3p PST (1:30a in Iran).\nOur partners are taking a huge risk not just for Twitter but also the other services they support worldwide\u2014we commend them for being flexible in what is essentially an inflexible situation. We chose NTT America Enterprise Hosting Services early last year specifically because of their impeccable history of reliability and global perspective. Today's decision and actions continue to prove why NTT America is such a powerful partner for Twitter.\"\n\nWhile that essentially means Twitter will be offline during some peak hours in the US, it\u2019s the right move given the circumstances.  The company realizes its service is proving a critical communications tool at a crucial time in a nation well-known for censorship, and by ensuring it\u2019s as accessible as possible, it\u2019s doing all it can to help.    \nSee Also: HOW TO: Track Iran Election with Twitter and Social Media"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2009/06/15/twitter-iran-election/>