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Egypt Cuts Communications Amid Protests

28 January 2011 21:31 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. The Egyptian government has disabled most Internet and cell phone services in an apparent effort to disrupt the anti-government protests gripping the country, APA reports quoting â€œThe Voice of Americaâ€.

Egypt’s four primary Internet providers all stopped moving data early Friday, effectively cutting off Egyptians from the outside world and each other.

Social-networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, had been vital communications tools for organizers of the past days’ rallies.

Mobile phone services also are unavailable in what appears to be another move to hamper the organization of the protests. People in the country are still able to use landline phones.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the government’s decision to block communications, saying one of the ground principles of democracy should be to protect freedom of speech.

Foreign journalists say Egyptian authorities also are targeting the media. A BBC reporter said he was badly beaten by Cairo police, while a CNN correspondent said police confiscated his crew’s camera and the equipment of another foreign television crew.

Local Egyptian television channels remain on the air, showing images of the protests.

U.S.-based Internet intelligence firm Renesys called the withdrawal of all routes to Egyptian networks an "action unprecedented in Internet history."

Other countries, including China, Iran and Tunisia, have cut off access to specific websites and social networking services in times of unrest. But Egypt’s move is much more comprehensive. Official Egyptian government websites are among those that became inaccessible.