The use of cell phones is also subject to surveillance. The Interior Ministry and the
Syrian Telecommunications Institution have banned the sale of cell phones that have
GPS and have WAP services that are not being properly monitored by the service
providers. 38
Technical censorship in Syria is implemented using software from a Canadian company called Platinum, Inc. 39 The company uses the ThunderCache solution for URL
filtering, which is a system capable of monitoring and controlling a user’s dynamic
Web-based activities as well as conducting deep packet inspection. 40
ONI Testing Results
OpenNet Initiative testing was conducted on two ISPs in Syria: formally SCS-Net (also
known as Aloola) and Aya.
The testing results for 2008–2009 indicate that Syria’s Internet filtering regime has
increased the scope and depth of targeted content. Censorship has been extended to
include high-profile Web sites such as the video-sharing site YouTube, the social networking site Facebook, and the online shop Amazon.
Political filtering continues to be pervasive. For example, Web sites of the Syrian
branch of the Muslim Brotherhood such as ikhwansyria.com and jimsyr.com (now defunct) were blocked. Unlike results from 2006 to 2007, more Web sites affiliated with
the Muslim Brotherhood, including that of the Egyptian branch, were blocked. Examples include www.ikhwanonline.com, www.ikhwanweb.com, and www.ikhwan.net.
Results from 2006 to 2007 testing indicated that only two Kurdish Web sites
were blocked, but results from 2008 to 2009 testing show that several Kurdish Web
sites have been added to the block list. These include www.kurdnas.com, amude.net,
www.kurdistanabinxete.com, www.pajk-online.com, www.kurdmedya.com, and www
.kurdax.net.
Also blocked were the Web site of the United States Committee for a Free Lebanon
(freelebanon.org), which campaigns for an end to Syrian influence in Lebanese politics;
the Web site of the Lebanese Forces (www.lebanese-forces.org); and some Lebanese
newspapers such as www.annahar.com.
Several political Web sites were also filtered. Among them are the Web site of the
Reform Party of Syria (www.reformsyria.org), a Web site of a communist party in Syria
(www.syriaalaan.com), the Web site of the Hizb al-Tahrir or Liberation Party (www
.hizb-ut-tahrir.org)—an Islamist group that seeks to restore the Caliphate—and various
news and oppositional Web sites such as www.thisissyria.net, www.free-syria.com, and
www.syriatruth.org.
The tests conducted by ONI revealed that a number of Syrian blogs hosted on
Google’s popular blogging engine Blogger (blogspot.com) continue to be blocked, a
Syria
575
Syrian Telecommunications Institution have banned the sale of cell phones that have
GPS and have WAP services that are not being properly monitored by the service
providers. 38
Technical censorship in Syria is implemented using software from a Canadian company called Platinum, Inc. 39 The company uses the ThunderCache solution for URL
filtering, which is a system capable of monitoring and controlling a user’s dynamic
Web-based activities as well as conducting deep packet inspection. 40
ONI Testing Results
OpenNet Initiative testing was conducted on two ISPs in Syria: formally SCS-Net (also
known as Aloola) and Aya.
The testing results for 2008–2009 indicate that Syria’s Internet filtering regime has
increased the scope and depth of targeted content. Censorship has been extended to
include high-profile Web sites such as the video-sharing site YouTube, the social networking site Facebook, and the online shop Amazon.
Political filtering continues to be pervasive. For example, Web sites of the Syrian
branch of the Muslim Brotherhood such as ikhwansyria.com and jimsyr.com (now defunct) were blocked. Unlike results from 2006 to 2007, more Web sites affiliated with
the Muslim Brotherhood, including that of the Egyptian branch, were blocked. Examples include www.ikhwanonline.com, www.ikhwanweb.com, and www.ikhwan.net.
Results from 2006 to 2007 testing indicated that only two Kurdish Web sites
were blocked, but results from 2008 to 2009 testing show that several Kurdish Web
sites have been added to the block list. These include www.kurdnas.com, amude.net,
www.kurdistanabinxete.com, www.pajk-online.com, www.kurdmedya.com, and www
.kurdax.net.
Also blocked were the Web site of the United States Committee for a Free Lebanon
(freelebanon.org), which campaigns for an end to Syrian influence in Lebanese politics;
the Web site of the Lebanese Forces (www.lebanese-forces.org); and some Lebanese
newspapers such as www.annahar.com.
Several political Web sites were also filtered. Among them are the Web site of the
Reform Party of Syria (www.reformsyria.org), a Web site of a communist party in Syria
(www.syriaalaan.com), the Web site of the Hizb al-Tahrir or Liberation Party (www
.hizb-ut-tahrir.org)—an Islamist group that seeks to restore the Caliphate—and various
news and oppositional Web sites such as www.thisissyria.net, www.free-syria.com, and
www.syriatruth.org.
The tests conducted by ONI revealed that a number of Syrian blogs hosted on
Google’s popular blogging engine Blogger (blogspot.com) continue to be blocked, a
Syria
575