But there are few means around the government's blockades of "objectionable" Web content, which, besides porn, includes domain registration sites, according to Heider Sati, an Al-Mansour graduate now running his own London-based IT consulting firm. The restriction, perhaps designed to muzzle protest speech, means Iraqis are unable to register and create their own Web sites. (Sati says he registered and hosts alMansourCollege.net, on behalf of his alma mater, for free.)

Despite these limitations, some of Iraq's geeks say they would suffer if the country lost its Internet connection, whether due to conventional bombs or cyber-attacks.