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NEWS > EVERYONE ELSE > FACEBOOK OFFICIALS DEEPLY CONCERNED AFTER EGYPT SHUTS DOWN ACCESS TO SOCIAL NETWORKS
FACEBOOK OFFICIALS DEEPLY CONCERNED AFTER EGYPT SHUTS DOWN ACCESS TO SOCIAL NETWORKS
January 28 2011
Alexandria, Egypt – As protests continue deep into the night it is clear that the protests in Egypt are unlike anything that has happened in the country for a very long time. Thousands of people continue to populate the streets, lighting government 
buildings and vehicles on fire even as police and military crackdowns continue, largely in vain, to quell the anger and violence in the country. Alongside the unprecedented demonstrators, the country has also engaged in unprecedented crackdowns resulting in serious debate even from allies.
In particular, United States officials have steadfastly protested many of the harsh tactics undertaken by the government including the shutting down of communications in and out of the country. Virtually all forms of communication across the country have been shuttered throughout the country including cell phone services, 3G access, and virtually all internet connections across the country. With governments across Europe and much of the rest of the world already up in arms against such actions, now internet giants such as Google and Facebook have also joined that clarion call protesting the removal of their services from the country of eighty million people, particularly problematic in what is already a slow time of the year for many websites and services.
“This is an evil act, the removal of internet access. The removal of any tools of free speech are an assault against the freedom of individuals and the notion of liberty itself. Internet access is an essential part of all notions of freedom of the will of people and must be respected by all governments. We urge the government of Egypt to restore internet access immediately,” said a spokesperson for Facebook. “We have see a substantial loss in traffic across the board and much of that can be attributed to the blackout form Egypt. This is dramatically reducing our page views and could, should it continue, threaten our long term viability. And it’s bad for freedom.”
Twitter, which enjoyed a huge success with the Iranian protests last year, has also been significantly impacted by the shut down.
“I can tell you first hand the things on the ground are deeply concerning. The anger of 
the protestors is only gaining as time goes on and these crackdowns appear to be increasing the intensity of the anger of the people. Aside from the anger at the government and the desire to remove Mubarak from office people are very frustrated at these crackdowns which they feel is justification of their anger,” said Scrape TV Middle Eastern Embedded correspondent Niyoosha Ebtehaj. “Through this acrid smoke from burning buildings one can smell the true nature of anger, the true nature of the frustration of the people. The country is alive with this frustration and the inability to communicate with one another has only increased that anger. By restricting access to the outside world, the government has only furthered the protests.”
Many new protestors have noted the Farmville withdrawal has been a major factor in the anger.
“The removal of internet access can only frustrate more people, particularly young people who will now be left with nothing much to do but protest. They are most certainly angry about the loss of internet and text access, and this will only solidify their anger towards Mubarak and the government,” continued Ebtehaj. “One can feel the palpable tension amongst the protestors and their focus cannot be underestimated. By removing this access, the government may have in fact sealed their fate particularly as more and more people take to the streets.”
The loss of access to internet pornography is also cited as a major factor in the surging protests.
Emil Uliya, International Correspondent
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