-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Syria Blocks "Facebook" Access to Thwart Israeli Infiltration

Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn't Fit
 
AP via Yahoo - Dec 7, 2007
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071207/ap_on_hi_te/syria_facebook


Syria blocks access to Facebook

Syrian authorities have blocked Facebook, the popular Internet hangout,
over what seems to be fears of Israeli "infiltration" of Syrian social
networks on the Net, according to residents and media reports.

Residents of Damascus said that they have not been able to enter
Facebook for more than two weeks. An Associated Press reporter got a
blank page when he tried to open Facebook's home page Friday from the
Syrian capital.

Syrian officials were not available for comment Friday because of the
Muslim weekend, but some reports have suggested that the ban was
intended to prevent Israeli users from infiltrating Syrian social
networks.

Lebanon's daily As-Safir reported that Facebook was blocked on Nov. 18.
It said the authorities took the step because Israelis have been
entering Syria-based groups.

Human rights groups have regularly criticized Syrian authorities for
blocking opposition sites and Internet sites critical of President
Bashar Assad's government.

Former President Hafez Assad's death in 2000 after three decades of
authoritarian rule raised hopes of a freer society under his
British-educated son and successor.

But the younger Assad cracked down on political opponents and human
rights activists, putting many of them in jail.

Copyright (c) 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 

                                 *
=================================================================
 NY Transfer News Collective     *    A Service of Blythe Systems
           Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us
            Our main website:   http://www.blythe.org
   List Archives:       http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/
   Subscribe:     http://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr
=================================================================

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.7 (FreeBSD)

iD8DBQFHWefAiz2i76ou9wQRArY4AJ9R50T2I2ne4FFmzIEnm8SN5MrM5ACfZ1G1
q/4yz5xu1t9N42cTIPZJh5s=
=Z4s7
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----