Part of a series on |
Censorship by country |
---|
![]() |
Countries |
See also |
Internet censorship in Syria is extensive; with numerous websites and online platforms being banned for political reasons. Internet usage is authorized only through state-run servers and people accessing through other means are arrested.[1][2] Filtering and blocking was found to be pervasive in the political and Internet tools areas, and selective in the social and conflict/security areas by the OpenNet Initiative in August 2009.[2]
After the mass protests of the Syrian revolution in 2011, the government of Bashar al-Assad has intensified cyber-surveillace measures and internet blockades across Syria.[3] Internet connectivity between Syria and the outside world shut down in late November 2011,[4] and again in early May 2013.[5] Syria is one of the five countries on the Reporters Without Borders organization's March 2013 list of "State Enemies of the Internet".[6] Syria's Internet was cut off more than ten times in 2013, and again in March 2014.[7][8]
Access to online information in Syria is tightly controlled by cyber surveillance facilities affiliated with the Assad government.[9] As of 2021, large amount of websites are blocked, including Wikipedia. While it is possible for users to bypass blocks through proxy apps, Syrian cyber forces use tracking software to identify the IP addresses of such users.[10]
Register_cutoff
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).