In addition to filtering a range of Web content,
the Syrian government monitors Internet use
closely and has detained citizens “for expressing their opinions or reporting information
online.”
1 Vague and broadly worded laws invite
government abuse and have prompted Internet
users to engage in self-censoring and selfmonitoring to avoid the state’s ambiguous
grounds for arrest.
2
Background
Syria is among the most repressive countries in
the world with regard to freedom of expression
and information. Criticisms of the president and
reports on the problems of religious and ethnic
minorities in Syria remain particularly sensitive
topics. 3 Human rights organizations have reported exhaustively on political arrests and detentions. 4
In 2006 Reporters Without Borders ranked
Syria among the thirteen “enemies of the
Internet.” 5 Although the government does recognize the importance of the Internet as a source of
economic growth, it also admits to automatically
blocking pornographic Web sites 6 and to censoring “pro-Israel and hyper-Islamist” Web sites,
such as “those run by the illegal Muslim
Brotherhood, and those calling for autonomy for
Syrian Kurds.” 7 In defense of these practices,
Minister of Technology and Communications Amr
Salem said, “Syria is currently under attack …
and if somebody writes, or publishes or whatever, something that supports the attack, they will
be tried.” 8
Internet in Syria
With a literacy rate of 80 percent,
9
Syria’s main
barriers to Internet access are economic. Only
4.2 percent of the population own personal
computers, with just 1 percent of Syrians
RESULTS AT A GLANCE
No evidence
Suspected
Selective
Substantial
Pervasive
Filtering
of filtering
filtering
filtering
filtering
filtering
Political
●
Social
●
Conflict/security
●
Internet tools
●
Other factors
Low
Medium
High
Not applicable
Transparency
●
Consistency
●
Syria
the Syrian government monitors Internet use
closely and has detained citizens “for expressing their opinions or reporting information
online.”
1 Vague and broadly worded laws invite
government abuse and have prompted Internet
users to engage in self-censoring and selfmonitoring to avoid the state’s ambiguous
grounds for arrest.
2
Background
Syria is among the most repressive countries in
the world with regard to freedom of expression
and information. Criticisms of the president and
reports on the problems of religious and ethnic
minorities in Syria remain particularly sensitive
topics. 3 Human rights organizations have reported exhaustively on political arrests and detentions. 4
In 2006 Reporters Without Borders ranked
Syria among the thirteen “enemies of the
Internet.” 5 Although the government does recognize the importance of the Internet as a source of
economic growth, it also admits to automatically
blocking pornographic Web sites 6 and to censoring “pro-Israel and hyper-Islamist” Web sites,
such as “those run by the illegal Muslim
Brotherhood, and those calling for autonomy for
Syrian Kurds.” 7 In defense of these practices,
Minister of Technology and Communications Amr
Salem said, “Syria is currently under attack …
and if somebody writes, or publishes or whatever, something that supports the attack, they will
be tried.” 8
Internet in Syria
With a literacy rate of 80 percent,
9
Syria’s main
barriers to Internet access are economic. Only
4.2 percent of the population own personal
computers, with just 1 percent of Syrians
RESULTS AT A GLANCE
No evidence
Suspected
Selective
Substantial
Pervasive
Filtering
of filtering
filtering
filtering
filtering
filtering
Political
●
Social
●
Conflict/security
●
Internet tools
●
Other factors
Low
Medium
High
Not applicable
Transparency
●
Consistency
●
Syria