They've "turned off the Internet" in Egypt

[recalcitranttoy]

That is significantly scary. Think of the ramifications. Think of the other governments of the world who would love to emulate that behavior.

This scares me, it seriously scares me.

CDT Statement on Egypt Shutting Down Internet Access

Washington, DC -- Today, the Center for Democracy & Technology
released the following statement in response to the news that Egypt
had cut Internet access and mobile services throughout the country:

"In a stunning and highly counterproductive step backwards, Egypt has
shut down its official domain name servers and telecommunications
network, completely cutting off its people from the global
community," said CDT President Leslie Harris. "This action is
inconsistent with all international human rights norms, and is
unprecedented in Internet history. Egypt's actions will only fuel
unrest and make peaceful resolution of grievances far more
difficult."

Director of CDT's Project on Global Internet Freedom Cynthia Wong
said: "Egypt's actions demonstrate how vulnerable mobile and
Internet access companies are to pressure from government to take
actions that directly harm human rights. While we appreciate that
some companies involved have acknowledged their role, events
unfolding across the region underscore how critical it is for
companies operating in these risky environments to have robust
strategies to push back on government demands inconsistent with rule
of law and respect for human rights."


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Contact:

Brock Meeks, CDT
202-407-8814
Email: brock@cdt.org