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Reporter’s Without Borders says Syria “Enemy Of The Internet”

Syria’s current authoritarian, repressive regime is notorious for their comprehensive censorship of the Internet. Syria has been profiled by Reporter’s Without Borders as an “enemy of the Internet” and has been named by the Committee to Protect Journalists as one of the top ten worst countries in which to be a blogger. According to the OpenNet Initiative, the Syrian government exerts its control over the Internet through a combination of restricting the growth and development of the Internet, specific content filtering, and surveillance or monitoring the Internet usage of both citizens and foreigners within the country.

Despite the provision for freedom of speech and the press in Syria’s constitution, the government has introduced various laws, bills, and amendments that allow censorship of both speech and media. The government claims that these measures are necessary to prevent both Israeli infiltration and the spread of sectarian divisions throughout the country. However, in reality the Syrian government uses censorship measures to track down anyone who makes or posts even mildlly negative comments about the Baath party. Countless bloggers, reporters, and average citizens have been jailed and even tortured for statements they have made over the Internet.

As part of their censorship measures, the Syrian government requires that businesses providing Internet to their customers, such as Internet cafes and hotels, keep close track of the names of those using the Internet, their idification cards, and the number of times they used the Internet. Customers, such as those of this unnamed international Syrian hotel, are asked to use their personal information when attempting to surf certain websites, and warned that they may not have access to various websites.

Despite the severity and brutality of Syrian Internet censorship, a somewhat comical twist has emerged in reaction to these restrictions. Methods of bypassing government bans so quickly go viral amongst the Syrian population that almost all those with Internet access enjoy the use of popular blocked sites such as Facebook and YouTube. This is so widely acknowledged amongst Syrians that some hotels, like the one linked above, even advise their visitors on how to access UltraSurf and HotSpot, two popular software programs used to access restricted websites.

Posted By internet freedom