18 October 2019
NetBlocks.org reported that BBC News and other news sites were unavailable in Egypt
Egyptians and Libyans experienced internet disruptions in late September, with service interruptions that appeared to target news sites and social media messaging.
NetBlocks.org, an organisation that tracks shutdowns and disruptions across the globe, reported that BBC News and other news sites were unavailable in Egypt, while some Facebook services also were blocked.
This happened during the protests against president Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.
“Technical measurements show that the social media and messaging platforms became unavailable on Telecom Egypt and Raya on Sunday, amid heightened political tensions following the publication of videos alleging state corruption,” said NetBlocks. “Egypt has seen some of its first political demonstrations in years after the political videos went viral on social media.”
NetBlocks said its data confirmed widespread reports from users who said they were having difficulty accessing Facebook Messenger and other services.
“The new instances of network filtering are likely to impact media freedom and the rights to free assembly and association at a time when dissent is already limited in Egypt,” the organization said.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring Libya a spokesman for the International Telecommunications Company in Tripoli said Facebook went down due to a malfunction of the international provider.
Likewise, an official at the Libya Telecom and Technology (LTT) told reporters that Facebook had not been blocked but encountered a technical error and said the company had contacted the international provider to solve the issue.
The company added in a statement that engineers were trying to reach the power stations to provide them with the needed fuel to reactivate them and solve the problem.
Meanwhile, the Democracy and Human Rights Foundation condemned the policies of the Libyan government and called upon the free world to support the country’s people.
“Blocking Facebook and imposing other fascist measures by the Libyan Government of National Accord is an affront to freedom, democracy, and human rights,” it said.
