After first blocking Facebook, Twitter, and Google, Egypt has decided to take it to the next level and completely disconnect themselves from the Internet. The largest Internet Service Providers in Egypt have stopped providing the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routing information used to connect the rest of the world with servers in the Egypt.
“The Egyptian government appears to have ordered service providers to shut down all international connections to the Internet,” Renesys said. “Critical European-Asian fiber-optic routes through Egypt appear to be unaffected for now. But every Egyptian provider, every business, bank, Internet cafe, website, school, embassy, and government office that relied on the big four Egyptian ISPs for their Internet connectivity is now cut off from the rest of the world.”
Mobile phones have also been shut down in some areas, according to Vodafone. “Under Egyptian legislation, the authorities have the right to issue such an order and we are obliged to comply,” the cellular company said. This means that the entire country has basically been cut off and many are wondering why Egypt has made this decision.
Mozambique shut down SMS last year after a text message went viral. The message said simply, “Mozambican, prepare yourself to enjoy the great day of the strike. Let’s protest the increase in energy, water, mini-bus taxi and bread prices. Send to other Mozambicans.”
Saudi Arabia shut down Blackberry access to the country after a disagreement with RIM on security. The current situation in Egypt is way more extreme, though.
This is the worst civil unrest in Egypt in more than 30 years, thousands of citizens have taken to the streets demanding an end to the government of President Hosni Mubarak. These are not your MLK-style protests, either. Clashes with authorities are frequent and violent. About 10 protesters have reportedly been killed, but this communications blackout has many fearing the worst. Is the government halting communications with the rest of the world in order to prevent protesters from organizing, or is there something even more sinister going on?
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