Syria follows Egypt in blocking the Internet, report

Sat Jan 29, 2011 9:09 pm » by **Proto**

Syria follows Egypt in blocking the Internet, report

On the same day that Egypt has allegedly blocked the Internet, Syria may have made a similar move to silence dissenting voices.

According to Arabic-language website Al Arabiya, the country has suspended all of its Internet services.

Earlier this week, Reuters reported that Syria had imposed bans on two programs that allow access to Facebook, which had previously been banned in 2007.

The country has a history of restricting media coverage of poverty and corruption, but it’s not clear that it has gone as far as disrupting Internet service altogether. Shorty after Al Arabiya reported that the Internet was down in Syria, a government representative denied the claim. Many who said they were tweeting from Syria also commented that they weren’t having any problems accessing the Internet.

Reports from Egypt, on the other hand, confirm that the government blocked Twitter and then Internet access altogether in response to escalating protests against the regime of President Hosni Mubarak.

Hillary Clinton addressed the rise of Internet censorship in a speech last week, calling it the “new information curtain.” But Egypt and — if the report is true, Syria — are the first countries to push censorship to the point of completely shutting down the Internet.

A Syrian official source denied the information broadcast by Al Arabiya that Syria has cut off internet connections.

Farid Ghadry who co-founded the Reform Party of Syria (RPS) an organization dedicated to freedom and human rights in his native country said:

"As the world watches images of Egypt erupting, similar images are being reproduced in Syria. We have witnessed today many demonstrations in Damascus, Aleppo, and Qamoshli. With 10,000 IRGC (Iranian Guardians of the Islamic Revolution corp) personnel residing permanently in Syria, we also witnessed them, mixed with Syrian Army Battalions, deploy in several cities around the country. Yet, the international media, and al-Jazeera especially, have gone dark on Syria."

http://www.yalibnan.com/2011/01/29/syri ... et-report/

Sat Jan 29, 2011 9:24 pm » by **Zegtelzegtel**

proto wrote:["As the world watches images of Egypt erupting, similar images are being reproduced in Syria. We have witnessed today many demonstrations in Damascus, Aleppo, and Qamoshli. With 10,000 IRGC (Iranian Guardians of the Islamic Revolution corp) personnel residing permanently in Syria, we also witnessed them, mixed with Syrian Army Battalions, deploy in several cities around the country. Yet, the international media, and al-Jazeera especially, have gone dark on Syria."

http://www.yalibnan.com/2011/01/29/syri ... et-report/

didn`t know there were 10.000IRGCs in Syria..good post

Sat Jan 29, 2011 9:48 pm » by **99socks**

The thing with Syria, is that the internet isn't as prolific there as it is in other countries. Most businesses can't afford computers, let alone private individuals. When I was there 12 years ago, there was maybe two computers for the bank which covered the entire city of Lattakia. Medical records, birth/death/marriage records, almost EVERYTHING was still being done by hand or with typewriters, like in the 1950s and 1960s. I don't know how much technology spread once Hafez al-Assad died, but I have a hard time believing that cutting off the internet is going to affect the average Syrian.

Sat Jan 29, 2011 10:03 pm » by **99socks**

zegtelzegtel wrote:
didn`t know there were 10.000IRGCs in Syria..good post

Syria is part of the "Axis of Evil".

Sun Jan 30, 2011 12:03 am » by **Proto**

99socks wrote:The thing with Syria, is that the internet isn't as prolific there as it is in other countries. Most businesses can't afford computers, let alone private individuals. When I was there 12 years ago, there was maybe two computers for the bank which covered the entire city of Lattakia. Medical records, birth/death/marriage records, almost EVERYTHING was still being done by hand or with typewriters, like in the 1950s and 1960s. I don't know how much technology spread once Hafez al-Assad died, but I have a hard time believing that cutting off the internet is going to affect the average Syrian.

Good point .

Sun Jan 30, 2011 11:19 am » by **Whiteknight2000**

If you read the whole article, and not just the top 2 paragraphs you will notice that we have got confirmation from Syria the Internet has not been blocked.

The title is wrong, and is utter disinformation. Please read the whole article before you post. It would help a lot of out on here.

Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:11 pm » by **Proto**

whiteknight2000 wrote:If you read the whole article, and not just the top 2 paragraphs you will notice that we have got confirmation from Syria the Internet has not been blocked.

The title is wrong, and is utter disinformation. Please read the whole article before you post. It would help a lot of out on here.

well, someone lies here ,so it's either the Arabic-language website Al Arabiya ,which is the
source of this article who lies , or it is the "source" in the Syrian government who lies .
IMO the Syrian "source" is the less credible of the 2 .(although i wouldn't call Al Arabiya
a 100% reliable source as well)

but since in the article they clearly state that it's not confirmed , then you can't really
call it disinfo , if they would have claim that it's 100 % confirmed and then it would
turn that they lied ,then it would be disinfo .
the headline is a bit dramatic i agree ,but that's the original headline ,i didn't changed
anything .

Tue Feb 01, 2011 12:08 am » by **Proto**

Will Syria's Revolution Be Organized... on Facebook?

pages have begun popping up on Facebook, calling for protests to begin in Syria on February 4 and 5.

“After Friday prayers, February 4 is the first day of anger for the proud Syrian people. Comprehensive civil disobedience in all cities,” reads one of the pages, titled “The Syrian Revolution 2011.”

It’s not clear what impact these pages will actually have on the ground. A few thousand people have “Liked” them--a small number relative to the tens of thousands who “Liked” pages calling for demonstrations in Cairo last week . The fact that Facebook is officially banned in Syria makes getting the word out more difficult, though many users find their ways around using proxy servers.

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has kept a tight grip on the country, and in the wake of the Tunisian unrest, he started jiggling a few levers, presumably to diffuse any impulse toward protest, including raising a fuel subsidy and, according to Reuters, tightening controls on the Internet.

Authorities might also be keeping a firm hand on things. According to the Middle East Research Institute (a think tank founded by a former colonel in Israeli military intelligence), Syria nipped solidarity protests with Egypt in the bud on Saturday, and the country’s security chief has been conferring with regional and police commanders about possible protests.

Some tweeters, however, kept pushing for action. A schedule making its way around Twitter predicts rolling revolutions: Sudan on January 30 (the southern part of the country held a referendum on independence on Sunday), Yemen on February 3, Syria on February 5, Algeria on February 12, and Bahrain, February 14.

http://www.fastcompany.com/1722483/syri ... artner=rss

Tue Feb 01, 2011 12:12 am » by **Charashc**

99socks wrote:
zegtelzegtel wrote:
didn`t know there were 10.000IRGCs in Syria..good post

Syria is part of the "Axis of Evil".

Axis of evil made "Axis of Evil" list.
Funny.

Tue Feb 01, 2011 12:17 am » by **zinzana**

in any case assad is in much better position than mubarack because he doesnt have a peace treaty with israel and therefor he cant be accused of being a zionist puppet lol