France 24, January 28, 2011

By Eric Olander (text)  

Egyptian authorities turned off nearly all digital communication channels early Friday morning, preventing access to the Internet. Yet, despite the government’s best efforts to silence its critics, a small group of Web users are getting through.

On Friday, at approximately 12:20 am local time in Cairo, almost all digital communications in and out of Egypt came to a sudden stop. In what appears to be a coordinated effort to contain the surging anti-government movement, Egyptian officials have apparently closed the country’s Internet service providers (ISPs) and telecom operators to block most voice calls and access to the Internet.

Across the Internet, people are reacting with outrage over the unprecedented move to turn off the Web and block phone calls. Just minutes after Egypt’s data lines went dark, the popular short messaging service Twitter erupted with thousands of users who posted updates and their collective anger over the government’s decision to silence the Web.  

There are reports on Twitter that some Egyptian Internet users are circumventing the government’s shut-down by accessing the Internet either by satellite, a foreign SIM card, or in some cases, via Noor [link], the only ISP the government seemingly permitted to remain operational. In those limited instances, Egyptian Twitter users are relying on what are known as ‘proxy’ servers that reside outside of the country to post their updates on Twitter and other social networking sites.  

This is the same technique employed during the crackdown in Tunisia, the 2009 Iranian “Green Revolution” and regularly in China to circumvent the “Great Firewall.” Instead of typing a standard Web address such as www.twitter.com, the user instead enters the numbers 128.242.245.148 in the browser’s address bar. This numerical Web address accesses the external proxy server located outside of the country. By using these proxy servers, the user is then able to bypass most of the security controls imposed by the government.  

While the vast majority of Egyptian Internet users are now unable to access popular social networking services like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, millions of other Internet users from around the world are using these sites to relay information from within Egypt about the situation on the ground. Of all the major social networking sites, Twitter is by far the most active.  

To follow the latest information on Egypt using Twitter, there are several key search terms, known as ‘hashtags,’ that are currently being used. In particular, Twitter users are using four different ‘hashtags’ in the discussion about Egypt.

It is very important to note that although Twitter is flowing with seemingly constant updates on events in Egypt and elsewhere, the quality of that information can vary widely. Since much of the content posted on Twitter is not vetted, rumors and innuendo are quite common. 

 Twitter hashtag: #egypt

landofthedave RT @MMflint: RT @jeffgibbstc Obama & Mubarak coordinated their speeches better than the Republicans did after the State of the Union. #egypt about 11 seconds ago rqskye RT @mousikopodilato: Egyptians MUST succeed, not only for their own sake, but for every people in the world who needs hope for change #Egypt #Jan25 about 11 seconds ago RJBridgeman Goodmorning #Egypt? my god! I close my eyes for a couple of hours and look at the mess they create! about 11 seconds ago

Twitter hashtag: #1m

MoustafaAyad Dear #Egypt, file complaints with the tanks Downtown (cc) Mubarak #Jan25 #1M about 1 hours ago DianaValerie RT @jerusalemfilms: tweet: Mubarak's speech sounds familiar so far.. Did BenAli send him a copy of his? #Egypt #1M #Jan28 about 1 hours ago awizahwa 33EEEEEEEEEEEBBBBBBB YAAAAAA MUUBAAARAAAAAAK!!!!!! #Jan25 #Egypt #1M #Dictatorship #Oppression #Bastard about 2 hours ago

Twitter hashtag: #jan25

coolcolo RT @SnarkoMarx: RT @lucorico: In a surprisingly straightforward move, the US names Mark Zuckerberg as the new US ambassador to Egypt. #Jan25 about 11 seconds ago rqskye RT @mousikopodilato: Egyptians MUST succeed, not only for their own sake, but for every people in the world who needs hope for change #Egypt #Jan25 about 11 seconds ago vabolium RT @NohaAtef: Bullets in the face?!!! Video http://bit.ly/gmndv2 #Egypt #Jan25 #Reuters about 12 seconds ago

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