finding which strongly suggests that ISPs have blocked access to all blogs hosted on
this service, including many apolitical blogs. Interestingly, Blogger.com (the site from
which users of the service write posts) is not blocked, meaning Syrian users can blog
but cannot read blogs (including their own). Also blocked was freesyria.wordpress.com,
a blog created to campaign for the release of Michel Kilo, a prominent Syrian journalist
imprisoned for his writings.
Results for 2008–2009 confirmed that Syria has unblocked access to the popular
e-mail service Hotmail as well as the small Web-based e-mail sites address.com and
netaddress.com. All three were found to be blocked in previous rounds of testing.
None of the Arabic-language e-mail sites ONI tested were blocked, though the Arabiclanguage hosting site www.khayma.com was. Among the few Web sites found
unblocked since 2006–2007 testing were the localized Arabic version of Wikipedia
and the Web site of the Lebanese Free Patriotic Movement (www.tayyar.org).
Though most foreign news Web sites were accessible, those of some prominent
Arabic newspapers and news portals were found to be blocked. Examples include the
pan-Arab, London-based, Arabic-language newspapers Al-Quds al-Arabi (www.alquds
.co.uk/) and Al-Sharq al-Awsat (www.asharqalawsat.com), the news portal elaph.com,
the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Seyassah (www.alseyassah.com), the U.S.-based Web site of
the Arab Times (www.arabtimes.com), and the Islam-oriented news and information
portal Islam Online (islamonline.net). These publications frequently run articles critical of the Syrian government.
Web sites of human rights organizations were generally available. Those associated
with the London-based Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) and the Web site of
the Syrian Observatory Human Rights (www.syriahr.com) were notable exceptions. As
indicated previously, some blogs that criticize the human rights record of Syria were
also blocked.
Several Israeli Web sites were tested to confirm whether or not Syria blocks the entire
‘‘.il’’ domain. All tested Web sites within the domain were blocked, suggesting that the
entire domain is indeed blocked. In addition, URLs containing the keyword ‘‘Israel’’
were found to be blocked.
Nearly one-third of the anonymizer Web sites tested were blocked, indicating some
measure of effort to preempt circumvention. None of the Web sites containing pornographic content were found to be blocked, including the select few found blocked in
2006–2007 testing. Additionally, as in the 2006–2007 rounds of testing, Web sites
that focus on LGBT issues were generally available.
Syrian ISPs offer an optional filtering system to block content deemed immoral and
violent, as well as chat Web sites. The ONI did not test the scope and depth of these
optional systems.
Filtering continues to lack transparency; there is no explicit block page, and the ISPs
and telecom regulators do not publish clear information about what they filter.
576
Syria
this service, including many apolitical blogs. Interestingly, Blogger.com (the site from
which users of the service write posts) is not blocked, meaning Syrian users can blog
but cannot read blogs (including their own). Also blocked was freesyria.wordpress.com,
a blog created to campaign for the release of Michel Kilo, a prominent Syrian journalist
imprisoned for his writings.
Results for 2008–2009 confirmed that Syria has unblocked access to the popular
e-mail service Hotmail as well as the small Web-based e-mail sites address.com and
netaddress.com. All three were found to be blocked in previous rounds of testing.
None of the Arabic-language e-mail sites ONI tested were blocked, though the Arabiclanguage hosting site www.khayma.com was. Among the few Web sites found
unblocked since 2006–2007 testing were the localized Arabic version of Wikipedia
and the Web site of the Lebanese Free Patriotic Movement (www.tayyar.org).
Though most foreign news Web sites were accessible, those of some prominent
Arabic newspapers and news portals were found to be blocked. Examples include the
pan-Arab, London-based, Arabic-language newspapers Al-Quds al-Arabi (www.alquds
.co.uk/) and Al-Sharq al-Awsat (www.asharqalawsat.com), the news portal elaph.com,
the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Seyassah (www.alseyassah.com), the U.S.-based Web site of
the Arab Times (www.arabtimes.com), and the Islam-oriented news and information
portal Islam Online (islamonline.net). These publications frequently run articles critical of the Syrian government.
Web sites of human rights organizations were generally available. Those associated
with the London-based Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) and the Web site of
the Syrian Observatory Human Rights (www.syriahr.com) were notable exceptions. As
indicated previously, some blogs that criticize the human rights record of Syria were
also blocked.
Several Israeli Web sites were tested to confirm whether or not Syria blocks the entire
‘‘.il’’ domain. All tested Web sites within the domain were blocked, suggesting that the
entire domain is indeed blocked. In addition, URLs containing the keyword ‘‘Israel’’
were found to be blocked.
Nearly one-third of the anonymizer Web sites tested were blocked, indicating some
measure of effort to preempt circumvention. None of the Web sites containing pornographic content were found to be blocked, including the select few found blocked in
2006–2007 testing. Additionally, as in the 2006–2007 rounds of testing, Web sites
that focus on LGBT issues were generally available.
Syrian ISPs offer an optional filtering system to block content deemed immoral and
violent, as well as chat Web sites. The ONI did not test the scope and depth of these
optional systems.
Filtering continues to lack transparency; there is no explicit block page, and the ISPs
and telecom regulators do not publish clear information about what they filter.
576
Syria