Facebook reported inaccessible in Egypt

Social networking sites banned to thwart protests

AFP | January 27, 2011



A website that monitors Internet traffic was receiving reports today that Facebook was inaccessible in Egypt, a day after Twitter was blocked amid anti-government unrest.

A Facebook spokesman, asked about the status of the social network in Egypt, referred AFP to Herdict.org, a project of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

The Herdict.org website listed two reports of www.Facebook.com being inaccessible in Egypt.

There was no immediate reply from Herdict.org to a request for further information about the status of Facebook in Egypt, which thousands of demonstrators have staged protests against President Hosni Mubarak.

Twitter confirmed late yesterday that its website had been blocked in Egypt, in an apparent move to thwart protesters using the social network in the campaign against Mubarak.

"We believe that the open exchange of information and views benefits societies and helps governments connect with their people," Twitter said in a message at @twitterglobalPR.

Twitter and Facebook were among Internet social networking services reportedly being used by protesters to share information and coordinate activities.

Swedish live video streaming site Bambuser said today that its service had been blocked in Egypt since yesterday.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across Egypt yesterday, facing down a massive police presence to demand the ouster of Mubarak in protests inspired by Tunisia's popular uprising.

Egyptian security was out in force today after activists called more street protests.

 

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