IT IS ironic that the revolt in Syria has, at least to a certain extent, been fostered by social networking sites – because before he became president Bashar al-Assad vigorously promoted the country’s entry into the digital age.
The vehicle for this endeavour was initially the Syrian Computer Society, founded by his brother Basil, heir presumptive killed in a car crash in 1994, and thereafter headed by Dr Bashar.
The goal of the society – headquartered in central Damascus near the diplomatic quarter – is to promote IT culture among students, academics, businessmen and officials. The society holds an annual convention which has attracted participants from around the Arab world.
Syria, which has received technical assistance from French and Indian firms, has also become a producer and exporter of software. A Syrian company has translated into Arabic Microsoft product documentation.
The government has promoted foreign investment in the IT sector with the aim of filling local demands for products and services and connecting Syria to the global economy.
However, the authorities soon learned that the internet required regulation in Syria’s well regulated society. A law adopted in 2007 required internet cafes, popular among youngsters who cannot afford their own computers, to register comments posted on chat forums. Furthermore, Wikipedia’s Arabic site, YouTube and Facebook have been blocked regularly since 2007.
In spite of last June’s mobile phone and internet messaging protest over the high price of services provided by telecom firms, in February a firewall was lifted on some internet sites, including Facebook and YouTube.
Since unrest erupted in mid-March the government has attempted to disrupt the internet without following the Egyptian example of shutting it down completely as was the case during the first week of the uprising. Instead, the authorities have cut off access in specific communities, such as the protest hub of Deraa and the restive Douma suburb of the capital.
Security agents have, allegedly, visited activists and demanded that they provide login identifications and passwords to Facebook and other social sites.
Users were also said to have reported errors when accessing Facebook due to official interception of traffic with the aim of monitoring Facebook entries. The effort showed that Syria has advanced internet surveillance technology and is prepared to employ it to spy on opposition figures.
While exiled opposition groups have provided activists in Syria with mobile and satellite phones and digital cameras to record regime action against demonstrators, Syrians viewing material have said that some images broadcast by satellite channels are not genuine. One observer in Beirut said she recognised video from Lebanon’s civil war period.
